Lost in Darkness
by RuinsoftheMoonVII
Summary: Marik's heart is shrouded by darkness, but will his encounter with Aura Takano change him for the better? Marik Ishtar x OC and some Yami Marik x OC. Rated Teen for more mature content in later chapters - a commission for DarkLolita90 on DeviantArt.
1. Chapter 1 : Eyes

"Nyeeeh…! Man, I can't believe you beat me _again_, Aura!"

The grumbling boy hit his head on the desk, a little harder than he had intended.

"Oww..." he muttered, bringing the girl sitting opposite him to giggle. Her green eyes shone playfully, as she poked her tongue out and flashed her winning card, the Silent Magician, proudly in her hand, "Heh, better luck next time, Joey!"

This was about her fourth win in a row. Aura Takano, the new kid at Domino High, was rumoured to have skills that could even rival the King of Games himself.  
Since she transferred to her new school, she'd befriended Joey Wheeler, another aspiring duelist who shared her good sense of humour, and the shy student Ryou Bakura, who was a transfer like herself. On top of that, she was deemed by her peers to be an attractive girl, with lightly tanned skin complimenting the dark brown of her hair; she had already gained some fans among her classmates.

"I must say," Bakura piped up, in his thick British accent, "That duel was quite smashing – possibly your best one yet, Aura!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Joey groaned, waving his hand in the air, "I just got unlucky, dat's all!"

"Oh really?" Aura raised an eyebrow with a smirk, "_Sure_, I believe you."

Joey rolled his eyes, and the two others laughed; they both knew he was only joking around. It didn't take long for a grin to return to his face.

"This was only a warm up! Just watch, I'll be at the top of my game when the tournament starts! You'll be entering too, right Aura?"

"You mean the Battle City tournament? Of course!" Aura beamed, "It sounds pretty fun. I might even get the chance to face Yugi!"

"You'll certainly go far if you participate." Bakura was smiling sweetly, through his mop of messy white hair, "I'll be rooting for you all the way! Oh… a-and you too, Joey, of course!"

"Huh?" Aura blinked towards him, "You mean you're not signing up?"

"Oh, no." he blushed a little, rubbing his head, "I couldn't hope to compete with players such as yourselves. I think it's best if I sit out of this one."

"Awww… really? That's too bad, Bakura."

He averted his eyes down at his shoes, shuffling about awkwardly. Aura couldn't help but smile though; she could hardly resist how adorable he was whenever he shied away like that.

"Meh, he's got a point…" Joey sighed, leaning back and stretching his arms out behind his head, "There'll be a lotta tough duelists taking part. It's not gonna be easy! 'Specially with Yugi entering."

"Say," Bakura looked thoughtful, "Aren't they registering the duelists for the tournament later today?"

"Hey, dat's right!" Joey rocked in his seat, "I forgot it was today! They're holding the big event in the city centre."

Aura broke into another smile, "Oh, how about we go sign up together after school then?"

A grin split wide across Joey's face, as he stuck his thumb up at her, "Yea, sounds like a plan to me!"

…..

"Jeez! Look at dis crowd!"

It hadn't taken them long to walk down into the shopping district after school, but already there was a huge sea of people gathering in the square, blocking their way. The city had never been so lively - swamped with masses of people, bustling about and some merely idling around to chat.

"Woah… are all these people duelists then!" Aura asked; the card game was certainly popular here in Japan, but she'd never seen so many people like this in one place before.

"Must be…" Joey replied, looking over the heads of other people to try and see what was going on; he grimaced, "Aw, I shoulda guessed dat _he'd_ be here…"

Aura screwed up her face, frustrated for not being as tall as Joey; but among the low droning of the crowd, she could hear a loud, familiar-sounding voice carrying over across the square. Joey's lips curled into a frown.

"It's dat rich boy, Kaiba… making some long speech, no doubt."

"Oh… ugh, I totally forgot he was hosting this thing."  
Aura had never really liked that pompous tycoon Kaiba. He seemed to have a hard time making an effort for other people; plus, he seemed like he'd do anything to get what he wanted.

"…Hey c'mon, let's try and jump ahead of these guys!"

"Huh?" Aura whipped her head around to see Joey already pushing ahead, impatient as always, "W-Wait up!"

"Oof!"

In her hurry to try and pursue Joey, Aura was shoved quite hard back against someone. She scowled, scanning around for the jerk that had pushed her, "Hey!"

She froze. A pair of sharp eyes had suddenly snatched and caught hers, holding them fast. For a moment she blinked, and couldn't help gazing into those striking violet eyes, which seemed to be boring back into hers fiercely. As quickly as they came, they softened, and the owner wore a small smile as he reached a hand out towards her.

"Sorry about that. Are you alright?"

"Uh…" Aura realised she'd been staring and shook her head vigorously; she'd been caught off guard for a second, "Uh, y-yeah. I'm fine! Thanks."

"No problem." The boy with violet eyes gave another warm smile after helping her back up. She noticed the darker colour of his skin, and the stunning platinum blond of his hair. Judging by the ornate black maquillage under his eyes, she guessed he might be Egyptian; nonetheless, he was certainly quite handsome.

When she failed to speak, he asked again with a pleasant tone, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." She nodded; remembering what she had been doing, she whirled around looking for any sign of Joey. He seemed to have already steamed off through the masses of people. Typical…

"Are you looking for someone?"

His voice surprised her. Aura looked back at the Egyptian boy, perplexed, "Uh… why d'you ask?"

"Oh, no reason I guess."

He was still smiling that same smile; it made Aura raise an eyebrow curiously.

"I'm Namu." He was quick to introduce himself; he thrust out his hand in an open manner, for her to shake, "And you are?"

Aura eyed him, slightly suspicious. Although she was friendly, she was always weary about people she'd only just met; he seemed just a little _too_ nice to her. It was like he was trying way too hard.

"…My name's Aura." She said, vigilantly accepting his handshake. His hand was warm.

"Aura…" he seemed to be tasting her name, "That's quite unusual. I like it."

She smiled at his compliment, trying not to show her uneasiness. She didn't want to seem impolite.

"Thanks." She said, before taking another glance around her. There really was no sign of Joey anywhere…

"Oh, you have a duel disk!" the boy's voice came again, enthusiastically.

Aura was taken aback, "Uh… y-yeah… You're pretty observant, huh?"

He gave her a look before chuckling lightly, "Heh, it's just… I'm a duelist too. I assume you'll be registering for Battle City, as well?"

"Of course." She nodded, thinking it had been a bit of a silly question. She suddenly wondered how she'd gotten stuck into this random conversation. It was a little unnerving, the way he just kept staring and smiling… she couldn't shake the feeling that it all seemed so hopelessly fake to her. Was he one of those fanatics who chased after people's rare cards? Or worse, some kind of creepy stalker with a crush? Not that he wasn't good-looking, but…

Hurriedly, Aura tried to muster up an excuse to get away, "Hey, um, I've gotta—"

But Namu once again interrupted her train of thought.

"Oh." he seemed to be looking over at someone behind her, "Right… well, I've got to get going now. Maybe I'll catch you during the tournament, Aura?"

He didn't wait to hear her goodbye; with a swift movement past her, he'd already disappeared.

This guy was just so abrupt.

One minute he was there, and the next he'd taken off. Aura tilted her head in confusion, trying to piece together what on earth had just happened... She turned and watched Namu making his way out of the crowd, towards some men wearing unusual purple cloaks. He spoke to them briefly, and nodded twice before marching them away, not taking a single look back.

If he hadn't already looked suspicious, he certainly did now.

Against her better judgement, Aura decided she couldn't just let him go – she couldn't help being bothered by such things. Helplessly curious as to what this strange guy was really up to, she weaved her way out through the horde of cheerfully chattering duelists, and followed the peculiar bunch down into the darker backstreets of Domino.

…..

Aura shivered slightly, as the sky had darkened over bringing dim gray clouds. Light wisps of rain in the air dampened her hair, as she continued as a brisk pace – she began doubting whether this was a good idea. She could just about keep up with the hooded men, who were ducking through various alleyways and going deeper into empty parts of the city. She'd never strayed this far away from the shopping district before; it was a little disturbing. Joey was bound to be wondering where she was by now…

"What're _you _freaks supposed to be?"

She immediately stopped on a corner, after hearing some ruckus going on from the other side. Despite her rash nature, she was wise enough not to go charging into trouble, and decided instead to watch what was happening from her hiding place.

"You punks aren't from here, are you? Don't you know you shouldn't go wandering around places you don't belong!"

A shady looking man was standing in the way of Namu and the purple hoods, laughing and taunting in a drunken-like manner. He hiccupped and chortled, his face bright red as he loomed over the trespassers. Sot thugs like these were known to be common in these back alleys.

Aura's eyes, however, were on Namu. She felt her stomach churn, as the kind face the Egyptian boy had shown her before suddenly warped into a deathly scowl. His eyes blazed with some other surreal emotion.

"We don't have time for this! Out of our way, you _fool!"_

His voice was different too; it was gruff and demanding, nothing like earlier. Aura watched, her eyes widening with wonder, as Namu unclipped a gold sceptre-like item from his belt. Whatever it was, it had an incredibly ancient look to it, and was remarkably gleaming… it seemed to be getting brighter and brighter.

All of a sudden, Aura drew in a sharp breath; she'd almost leapt out of her skin, as the drunken thug let loose a horrendous shriek, more animal-like than human. It was enough to rattle her to her core. …What just happened? Was he screaming with pain?

She had to shield her eyes from the glaring light, so she couldn't make out what was going on; but after the glow died away, the man was already lying lifeless on the ground, his eyes filled with white. His face was washed of colour too, and his mouth lay wide open, like some deranged zombie. The sudden silence was sickening.  
Aura's heart rose to her throat, rendered horrified – had they… _killed_ him?

"Hey, who's there?"

Aura's insides lurched - one of the purple hoods had suddenly yelled, swerving without warning to face her direction.

For the second time that day, Aura found herself locked with those fierce violet eyes.  
Namu turned and was looking right at her, that gold sceptre of his in hand, and a frightening glower in his eyes. He snarled dangerously, calling out in disbelief.

"_You…!"_


	2. Chapter 2 : Imprisoned

"You _fool!_ What happened?"

"I… I'm sorry, master Marik! She surprised me-"

"She's a _little girl!_ You're telling me that you couldn't restrain her?"

Aura heaved in and out, clutching a hand to her chest. She could hear Namu bellowing at his purple hooded minion, as she concealed herself in the shadows of an alleyway; that encounter had been too close for comfort.

…_.._

"_You…!" he had cried, furious to have found someone spying on them – and not just anyone: the very same girl he had just met in the city square… _

_With a sudden sadistic smirk, making the girl shiver, he took the strange gold sceptre he had just used to stupefy the pitiful excuse for a man at his feet._

"_So you followed me, Aura?" he growled her name, "I assure you, that was the last mistake you will make…"_

"_W-What did you do to that guy?" she cried bravely. Her mind was a complete frenzy but she remained stubborn; she stood her ground, as the violet-eyed Egyptian approached her slowly._

"_I've robbed him of his mind… he is lost to the darkness now."_

_Aura screwed up her face; what was this freak talking about? Taking another glance at the zombie-like man lying on the ground, she decided it wouldn't be worth staying to find out. Her heart pounding rapidly, she turned on her heels and made a break for it._

"_After her, my rare hunters!"_

…..

Marik?

Is that what the guy in purple had called Namu? So, he was using a fake name…

And he had called them "rare hunters"… what on earth did that mean?

Thankful for having trained herself in martial arts, Aura wiped a sheet of sweat from her brow. If she hadn't been so quick to react, that guy would have grabbed her – fortunately luck had been on her side.

"You're useless!" Marik yelled, and there was a groan of pain from the rare hunter as his master presumably struck him over the face. It made Aura jump.

She continued to listen intently, daring not to breathe, hoping that they had lost her trail. Maybe they would just give up?

She had been so distracted; she didn't even sense the man who was creeping steadily up behind her.

Being much larger, he snatched up her body harshly in both hands, covering her mouth to the point she could hardly breathe. Squirming to no avail, Aura jerked her head back to catch a glimpse of the man's face. Although obscured by a hood she was startled by the sharp gold eyes glaring back at her... they were so devoid of emotion, it was unnatural.

"Hahaha! Excellent work, Odion. I knew I could rely on you."

Marik suddenly appeared in the alleyway, cackling and praising Aura's captor. He directed a devious smile in their direction, and uttered in severe undertones.

"Your meddling will cost you dearly, girl."

…..

…

A blurred vision of a beautiful priestess, garbed in Egyptian jewellery, emerged before Aura's eyes. Her dark chocolate hair swept down her back from under a gold headdress, and she had slender hands placed together as if she were praying. She was indeed a stunning woman, with elaborate make-up flattering her eyes and a lightly tanned complexion under a thin white veil. She was speaking softly, and although Aura couldn't understand it, every word was spoken with utmost grace and majesty.

She could hear other voices too. There was a grand male voice, speaking to the priestess.

Pharaoh…?

Did she call him Pharaoh?

Aura faltered. The humid air began to sweep over her – this was weird, was she somehow in ancient Egypt?

It was getting muggier, and brighter. It felt too real to be a dream.

The vision was dipping in and out of focus – it was making her head spin. She just had to close her eyes.

…

…..

"So, you're awake."

Aura was startled by the deep voice, which seemed to be echoing all around her. After finally blinking her eyes into focus, she could make out the dark silhouette of a man in purple.

She grimaced, as the scene from earlier began to replay in her mind.

The last thing she remembered was that bright light… and just now that weird Egyptian dream.

Had she been knocked unconscious? Where was she now?  
Aura strained her eyes to try and adjust to the almost pitch-black surroundings. Her whole body felt quite sore; it didn't take long for her to find that she just couldn't move her limbs.

"I'll inform master Marik."

The heavy voice came again, before the cloaked man vanished through a door.

Aura forced out a cry, "…W-Wait a second! Where am I?"

The impending unknown spouted fear inside her; her stomach began to knot up and it made her tremble slightly. She'd finally worked out that she was in some sort of dungeon, bound mercilessly to the wall by shackles and chains.

"_Hey!"_ she yelled after the man, her voice bounding back at her off the stone walls, "Come back! Why did you bring me here?"

The eerie atmosphere was freaking her out a little – it reminded her of this weird movie she saw once with Bakura...  
She began to panic, as another shadowed figure came into view.

"Wait! _I know!"_ she shrieked - so loud that the resonance was almost deafening, "You guys are part of one of those freaky satanic cults, aren't you? …And y-you're planning on _sacrificing _me or something?"

Her breath rasped in her throat, at hearing her own words repeat in the echo. The danger of the situation was dawning on her and making her feel quite sick. She continued to shiver, uncontrollably, as the new arrival just stood firmly in the doorway.

"M-My parents will hear about this! You'll be sorry you—"

"Silence!" the figure commanded, bringing a swift silence.

Aura squinted as the person stepped closer, emerging into view; she'd thought she recognised that voice. He was merely whispering, but it carried across the whole of the dungeon.

"Calm down, foolish girl… it's true you are my prisoner; however I have no intention of harming you at the moment."

Aura decided "at the moment" was good enough for her; she felt a rage building as she was looked down upon, once again with those viciously violet eyes.

"Marik…? That's your _real _name right?" she scowled, to which he raised a brow, "I demand to know! Where the hell am I? And what are you gonna do to me, you creep? If I'm your prisoner—"

"You're in no position to be making demands." He interrupted her, brandishing that gold sceptre from before.

Aura's eyes widened. She hadn't noticed earlier, but up close the item seemed to look strangely familiar to her.

Marik regarded this and smirked broadly, "So you're familiar with the Millennium Items then?"

Millennium Items… Aura had once read about them; she'd never believed they actually existed. Yet, when she'd first heard about them at school, Joey seemed to have been convinced that Yugi had one of such items... he said something about it holding a Pharaoh's spirit?  
She'd never really thought to ask Yugi, seeing as they were never in any classes together.

Nonetheless, the gleaming, ancient object before her was definitely familiar.

Marik seemed to be reciting a passage from memory.

"The Millennium Rod… one of seven ancient items. This one in particular has the power to take control of people's minds, or otherwise cast them away into the shadows."

He turned at her again, with a sinister twinkle in his eye.

"My rare hunters over in Egypt have already been acquainted with your family. Your little sister… her name is Jinora, correct?"

Aura's face went abruptly pale.

"W-What? How…? How do you know about my family?"

It was true that her family were off in Egypt at the moment. Her parents, both working as archaeologists, were often called out to excavations at the pyramids; Aura would sometimes join them, accompanied by her younger sister Jinora.

This was actually the first time her parents had let her stay home alone; now that she had grown into an independent young lady, they felt they could put their trust in her.

Marik sniggered, "I know a lot more than you think, my dear."

"Y-You-!"

"I have many other pawns who would do my bidding stationed over in Egypt. But don't fret; I haven't given any orders… yet. As long as you co-operate and obey my commands, things will stay that way."

Aura bit her lip. She had suddenly been tossed into a powerless position. She would have never thought that his rare hunters could gather so much information about her, and so quickly. She merely scowled, as Marik chuckled again.

"I can't have you telling anyone of my secret. It'd be a big risk if my enemies discovered my identity. That's why you must stay here for now… although, if you're a good girl I may able to make some better room arrangements for you."

Aura couldn't help but protest, "Your secret? But I… I have no idea what you're even planning!"

She jumped, as he ducked his face threateningly close to hers. He whispered, his breath dancing on her cheek.

"What I want… is simple."

She gulped, entranced by the ferocity of those eyes of his. He leaned in, daringly close, taking advantage of her rigid state. A grin spread across his face.

"…I want _everything!_ I want the entire world in my clutches!"

…

A snort, and a tiny hint of a giggle filled the awkward silence.

Marik frowned, "What? What's so funny?"

Upon his question, Aura suddenly burst into much more obvious laughter.

"You want to rule the world?" she cried, finding it helplessly funny, "Are you kidding? That's ridiculous!"

She thought he sounded like a little kid – or one of those senseless villains from a children's cartoon. Surely he couldn't be serious?

The other, however, didn't find it humorous at all.  
Marik's eyes blazed with rage, as he shot to his feet, hanging over her.

"_Be quiet!_ Insolent fool… you know_ nothing!" _he snapped, his expression melting into a murderous sneer, "…For that, I'll let you rot down here for a while longer!"

With a sharp turn on his heels, he strutted angrily to the door and made sure to slam it harshly behind him. He was gone, just like that.

…..

"Master Marik?"

The Egyptian boy sighed, as Odion approached from behind.

"Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine." Marik grumbled, rubbing his forehead, "…That girl is going to be a handful."

Marik's faithful servant bowed slightly, with respect. He lowered his hood, revealing a tanned face covered with complex Egyptian markings. His eyes seemed to pierce right through his master, sensing every emotion.

"If I may… why don't you simply use your Millennium Rod to control her, master?"

"There's no need." He replied with haste, "…The rare hunters have provided me with the information I need to keep her under control. She knows that I can take her family hostage at any time."

He paused, sighing. He leaned back in his chair, gazing aimlessly at the ceiling. Odion remained quiet.

"She knows about the Millennium Rod. She witnessed my power first hand."

Odion nodded; he understood that it would have been too risky for them to let her go – they couldn't allow Yugi Muto and his little friends discovering their whereabouts. The only choice they had was to keep her there, in their hideout.

Marik let out a hollow chuckle; Odion watched, as a small smirk slowly curved onto his master's lips.

"…But who knows, Odion? Having a girl around here may be… _amusing."_


	3. Chapter 3 : Authority

"Out."

Just one word; it came as a sudden surprise.

After storming out, Marik had deserted Aura down in the dungeon for a day or two, leastways – she couldn't keep an accurate track of the time. The jerk was probably still sulking…

The rare hunters had wandered down every so often to make sure she was eating, and to let her use the bathroom at least. The food wasn't great, but she wasn't about to starve herself. She'd once or twice complained, from having serious cravings for something sweet; but each time the cloaked men ignored her completely.

With a sharp clang, the chains that had been binding her fell loosely to the floor, as Odion undid the restraints. Aura let out a relieved sigh, finally able to relax her sore muscles; the pain had been on the brink of unbearable.

"Move." Odion barked another one-word order, his cold stare threatening in itself.

Aura didn't have the strength to disobey him; plus, the lingering thought of her family being in danger was erasing any ideas of escape, at that moment anyway.

Odion informed her that his master had prepared a room for her, where she would be to stay until further notice. As Aura followed him up the stairs, she took a glance back down at the dingy dark place she had just been, and decided that anywhere would be better than being locked up down there.

…..

Aura received a rather pleasant shock.

"This is… my room?" she blinked; she definitely wasn't seeing things.

The room was simple, but stylishly decorated – with an exquisite bed and various ornamental objects. The light cream colour of the walls made everything appear very bright, despite there being no window.

"We can't have you discovering the whereabouts of our hideout." Odion said, answering her mental question about the window, "As I said, master Marik has assigned you this room until further notice."

Aura's eyes wandered across the room to a small side door, which she hoped in the back of her mind was an en suite bathroom. She could really use a bath right now to ease those aching muscles of hers. She turned again to Odion, hesitating slightly under his eyes.

"Um… t-thank you, sir…"

Odion just stared. His expression didn't change as he uttered, "My name is Odion."

"Oh… okay." she nodded; she felt a little awkward, wanting him to hurry up and leave so she could better explore her room. But it seemed he had further business.

"…My master had also generously provided you with some spare clothes."

Aura tilted her head, before looking downward at herself. She blushed; her school uniform was caked with dirt and dust. She certainly wanted to change as soon as possible. But giving her spare clothes? That seemed awfully kind of him…

She jumped as Odion suddenly thrust a bundle in her direction.

"He'll be expecting you to wear them later tonight at dinner. I suggest you do as he bids."

Wait, what… dinner!

Aura shook her head, not even having time to register everything in her mind; but Odion had already left, pulling the door locked behind him.

She frowned, slouching and sighing loudly.  
Upon closer inspection, she realised Odion had only given her one item of clothing. So she had only one option – she guessed that showed exactly how _generous_ his master really was.

As she turned to go and clean herself up, she curiously unfolded the tangle of clothing in her arms, to get a better look at what Marik had so benevolently provided…

She was utterly horrified.

…..

Marik smirked, upon Odion's return to his quarters later that evening.

"Ah, there you are." He said, looking smug, "Well then? Where is she?"

"Umm… about the girl, master Marik…"

Odion was trying his best to meet his master's eyes, but he feared what was coming. Marik's expression changed.

"She… refused to wear the dress."

"What?"

Marik was surprised – he'd been sure that she would _need_ to wear it, considering she had no other clean clothes. That certainly spoiled his fun.

"She had a steadfast opinion, sir. I tried but… she just confined herself in her room."

Marik snarled, getting to his feet, "And you just let her do that?"

"I'm very sorry… please forgive me, master Marik." Odion humbly got down on his knee, but Marik had already marched by him, "Where are you going, sir?"

Marik glanced back momentarily, a wicked gleam in his eye, "She got herself into this situation. As long as she's here, she has to know that she'll be doing things _my_ way."

Odion's eyes widened, after catching the glint of gold in Marik's hand: the Millennium Rod.

He sighed quietly.

He had always believed that his master was good at heart, but that child-like ego of his was possessing him more than usual lately; it seemed he would go to any lengths to assert his authority. It was that which had led them out here to Japan in the first place, to obtain the "power of the Pharaoh"…

Strutting down the corridor, Marik hastened towards Aura's room. He stopped and couldn't hear anything on the other side – was she even still in there?

"Aura?" he called sharply.

"What?" her voice fired back; she clearly wasn't afraid, "If it's about that dress, then _forget it_! I'm not wearing that thing!"

He scowled at the door, as if his eyes could melt through it, "You will do as I say! Now come out here!"

"_NO!"_

Enraged by her defiance, Marik snatched the door handle and didn't think twice before kicking the door open, sending it flying against the wall. Aura, who had been sitting on the bed, gasped with shock as he strode in towards her.

"W-What the hell? You can't just barge into a lady's room like this!" she cried, shooting to her feet and blushing all at the same time; she had to admit to herself that she regretted her words a little.

The dress Odion had given her earlier was lying on the floor, discarded next to her feet. Aura thought that he couldn't have picked anything more provocative, and she would rather have been caught dead than be forced to wear it – she wasn't a fan of dresses, besides, or the colour pink. It was bad enough having to wear that repulsive pink jacket as part of her uniform; and just_ looking_ at the skimpy little black and pink dress made her feel embarrassed.

"Why did you want me to wear that anyway? You sleazy pervert!"

She was caught off guard, having the wind knocked out of her as she was shoved harshly backwards, hitting the bed. She squeaked, rendered frozen, as Marik was suddenly over her, pinning her down. He didn't quite look it, but he was definitely strong. She blushed again: Marik's face had abruptly twisted into something cruel and perverse.

"So a lady, you say? Well, you're not exactly very lady-like, are you?"

"W-What are you doing?" she snapped, unable to fully grasp the situation. She was suddenly flushed all over, as the Egyptian's face leered right into hers. She couldn't move at all under his hold.

"Stubborn girl…" he whispered against her skin, his tongue flickering out and gently touching her ear.

This made her shudder, and she couldn't stop. The situation was freaking her out. But… at the same time, her heart was thumping wildly in her chest.

Having those gorgeous eyes gazing at her, almost eating her up, was almost too much to bear…

…Gorgeous?

Did she just think that?

A deep chuckle escaped from Marik's lips.

"You're scared, aren't you my dear? I must say, I like this more placid side of you."

Aura narrowed her eyes - as if looks could kill. It was tearing her apart inside to not be able to reach up and slap him hard across the face. She heaved heavy breaths, flustered and at loss.

"I was planning on using my Millennium Rod…" a baneful smile broke across his face, "But overpowering you in this way has proven to be much more _fun_."

He suddenly released his tight hold, but continued hovering above her body, and his face was still threateningly close. He took advantage of her paralyzed state and lapped his tongue teasingly against her cheek.

"Don't worry. I'll let you off this time… but next time I won't be so gentle."

Aura remained helpless on her back, breathing hard. Marik stood to his feet, straightening up with his Millennium Rod once again in hand.

"You'll learn your place soon enough… or else, face the consequences."

With that, he strode towards the door; he glanced back one final time, wearing a strangely seductive look.

"Oh, and you _will_ be wearing that dress. I look forward to seeing you in it."

The door slammed shut.  
Aura's head was still swimming frantically.

She managed to sit up, and gingerly touched her burning cheek. It was still slightly wet. She shuddered; how could she have been rendered so powerless?

He was keeping her a prisoner. He was evil – and completely crazy.

So she shouldn't be feeling this way…

Her heart was still pounding a mile a minute. She closed her eyes, burying her face in her hands and falling on to her side. How could she make sense of this situation, if it just didn't make any plain sense at all?

…..

Having remained in her room for the rest of the evening, Aura was just growing ever more confused… and hungry. The more she thought about things, the stranger they seemed…

Marik's face kept looming in her mind… those features of his; she hadn't really paid much attention to them before. She'd been scared, and angry about being held against her will… but that guy, weird and insane as he was, he was actually kind of…

Aura shook her head to and fro, trying to stop such thoughts clouding her mind.

There was nothing good about this situation at all.

She _had_ to do something.

She simply couldn't stay there any longer.

Not waiting to gather her thoughts, she slid to her feet and went straight for the door. In all his arrogance, Marik had forgotten to lock the door behind him earlier.

Taking a peek out both ways, Aura saw no sign of any rare hunters. Her heart raced; this may be her only chance to get away. Hurriedly, she crept a few steps before breaking into a run down the corridor.

Her judgement had been terribly timed, as no sooner had she skidded around a corner she found herself crashing right into Odion.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Aura froze, staring up at him with her mouth agape. Odion raised an eyebrow; he seemed to be waiting for her to speak. She gulped, panic imminent on her face. She searched her mind for any sort of excuse she could give.

"I-I was… um… W-Where's your master!"

Odion looked at her strangely. He wondered why on earth she'd be asking after Marik.

Aura noticed she had caught his interest; this compelled her to spilling out an idea that had sprung to mind, literally only seconds ago.

"I… I want to duel Marik! For my freedom!"


	4. Chapter 4 : Hidden Ambition

**A/N – Some people have commented on the OC, the dialogue and the pace of the story. I just want to clear up that this is a COMMISSION for a user on DeviantArt. I am writing this SOLELY based on what she has requested – the events, the characters and also how they should act. It is only going to be seven chapters, hence why a lot of "action" is going on. I would appreciate it if you ONLY comment on my WRITING SKILLS, and not the characters themselves or whether you like what's happening or not, as such things should not be taken up with me – I am merely writing someone else's idea. Thank you.**

…..

"Hahahahahahaha!"

"W-What's so funny?"

Marik roared with laughter, while Aura stood her ground; Odion made sure to keep his distance in the background.

"How entertaining!" he cried, "_You _want to duel _me?"_

"What's _entertaining_ about that?" Aura pouted, annoyed already by that tiresome laugh of his.

"You simply don't stand a chance!" he smirked, "And you think by defeating me, you can win your freedom?"

"If you're so confident, you should have no trouble beating me." Aura countered; she held up the duel disk Odion had retrieved for her, and the deck she'd been holding on to for Battle City. She was actually itching to duel, considering he'd taken away her chance to enter the tournament.

Marik raised an eyebrow, still laughing; he seemed to not take her seriously.

This made her blush, and she raised her voice, "I see – s-so you're just all talk, after all! Do you need your rare hunters to duel for you? Is that it?"

Marik's face lit up, and his smirk only grew wider.

"Hmph… if you insist on a duel, my dear, then I shall oblige. Let's see if you can amuse me for more than five minutes."

…..

The duel commenced.

At Marik's command, Odion had cleared a room for them to allow space for the game.

It had barely begun, and Aura was off to a sure start.

She'd started by playing her Card Destruction, and pulled a Monster Reborn in the first turn; she'd ended up with Dark Magician Girl, and Silent Magician both on the field. Her offense stood proudly, as Marik frowned at her luck.

"So… you use dark-type monsters as well?"

"Mostly." Aura grinned, getting carried away with confidence, although she had yet to see what Marik had up his sleeve.

The Egyptian boy chuckled, drawing his next card, "You've been fortunate so far, but I'm afraid your luck won't last!"

He threw a card down onto his duel disk – Snatch Steal. Aura gaped.

"Aww no!"

"Hahaha!"

His laugh was so absurd – it couldn't have been genuine, surely. Aura screwed up her face, as she was forced to hand over control of her Dark Magician Girl to Marik.

"Next…" he smirked thoughtfully at the cards in his hand, "I'll place two cards face down… and also summon my Goblin Attack Force."

Aura rolled her eyes – now she had two enemy monsters to deal with. As soon as Marik were to call an attack, her Silent Magician would be toast.

"It's not too late to give up, Aura."

"Save it!" she snapped, "It's not over till it's over!"

…..

Her luck had evidently deteriorated. Marik had gained the upper hand so quickly.

Aura had been able to counter him with a few surprise traps and spells, but Marik seemed to keep coming out on top.

"Had enough yet, my dear?"

Aura rolled her eyes, drawing her next card. His taunting was seriously starting to get on her nerves – the cocky jerk.

She looked upon her hand with despair; there wasn't much she could do now.

"Hurry up and make your move!"

"I'm thinking! I'm thinking!"

All the while Odion was watching cautiously from the sidelines. The both of them were so stubborn that the very air between them was full of fire and sparks. For once, he was quite relieved not to be involved.

Aura hid a secret grin, having come up with a plan, "I'll place this card face down… and I guess I'll end my turn."

"Fool!" Marik cackled, "You've left yourself wide open! Go, my Vampire Lord – attack her directly!"

"Haha!" Aura laughed, mentally cursing herself for sounding almost as dramatic as Marik, "You just walked right into that one! Activate Mirror Force!"

Marik's eyes widened – shocked, but with a hint of awe. Aura noticed this quickly and blushed a little; had she impressed him?

"Very good." He murmured, removing his army of monsters from the field, "Very good, indeed."

Aura couldn't help but giggle – it seemed she had jumped ahead yet again.

"Alright then…" she drew her next card, "Yes! Now I'll activate the Dark Magic Curtain, in order to bring out my Dark Magician!"

One of the most powerful monsters in her deck emerged with a flash – he looked similar to the signature card used by Yugi Muto, except he was draped in red, and had a slightly tanned complexion. Marik watched without saying a word; Aura thought this was odd, considering how vocal he had been up until then.

"Heh… looks like I got you!" she grinned from ear to ear, brimming with self-esteem, "Dark Magician, attack!"

A broad, vile sneer suddenly split across Marik's face, as he erupted into hysterics.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't be prepared for this?" he cried, much to her dismay, "Sakuretsu Armor will take care of your pathetic magician!"

With a wretched cry, the Dark Magician dissolved away before their eyes. Aura grimaced.

"Okay, so now we're back to an empty field…"

"I'm not finished yet!"

"Right, of course…" she grumbled.

"I'll also chain my Ultimate Offering card. Life points are such a small price to pay, to bring about a far more powerful monster to annihilate you!"

Aura watched him with intrigue, as Marik sacrificed a hefty portion his life points to bring two additional monsters to his side. They didn't stay for long though, as he then offered them to bring forth a devastating 8-star creature, known as Despair from the Dark.

"Hahahaha! It's over for you! _Attack_!"

"Aww, crap…!"

The duel thereafter ended, in a sufferable defeat…  
What was worse though, was the fact that Marik would not stop bragging afterwards.  
Even Odion was disgruntled.

"I told you it was no use!"

Aura mumbled curses under her breath; she was convinced that Marik had just gotten lucky.

"How about one more?"

"I promised you one duel, and you got it." He smirked slyly, folding his arms in an arrogant manner, "But you realise… I would never have let you go had you won, anyway."

Aura's face glowed red, fraught with embarrassment, "W-What the hell? But you—"

Marik cackled that evil laugh, once again, "My dear, I don't recall ever _agreeing_ to your terms."

Utterly defeated, Aura lowered her head and slapped her forehead stupidly, "… oh, dammit."

…..

"Master Marik, you summoned me?"

Later on in Marik's quarters, Odion appeared in the doorway with a bow.

"Yes…" his master spoke slowly, with his back to him, "I heard the rare hunters lost to Yugi and his friend, Kaiba… Is this true?"

"I'm afraid so, sir."

Marik clenched his fist, so tightly that his knuckles were almost white.

"My ambition… it's so close, I can almost taste it."

He sneered, slamming his fist against the wall.

"I won't have my plans ruined by those meddlesome fools!"

Odion merely watched; stony faced as usual, he waited patiently for his next orders.

"The Battle City finals are beginning soon… I want you to hack into the KaibaCorp systems and enter places for the both of us. The time had come for us to take action ourselves. Don't fail me, Odion."

"I won't, sir."

"Oh, and Odion…" he spoke roughly, still without looking up, "…bring Aura here. I want to talk with her."

…..

It had been a little while since her duel with Marik. Aura had just taken a shower and freshened herself up; she was still a little sore about the loss, but luckily nothing else had really happened since then. Marik hadn't punished her or anything… in fact, he'd gone straight back to his room, seemingly with something on his mind.

Thus, she was inevitably surprised, when Odion arrived at her door.

"Master Marik has requested your presence."

She wasn't too happy about this – he was probably just going to gloat some more.

Reluctantly, she left the semi-security of her room and followed Odion quietly along the corridor. They ended up stopping at the furthest door.

"Master Marik is waiting." The servant said, beckoning towards the door.

Aura blushed slightly – was she expected to go in there alone? A swelling in the pit of her stomach was telling her that this may not be a good idea…

She barely had time to think about it; with a half-hearted push, Odion had coaxed her through the door and closed it behind her.  
Great…

"Ah, you're here. Excellent."

But when she laid her eyes on Marik, she decided this was _definitely_ a bad idea.

The Egyptian was lying on his bed, two hands behind his head, seemingly lost in thought; he was just staring at the ceiling and hadn't even turned to look at her yet. Her heart climbed swiftly into her throat, and she was helplessly flushed. She couldn't deny: he looked pretty sexy lying there in a casual tank top and black slacks. He'd been staring nowhere in particular, but now his eyes were totally fixed on her.

"What's with that look?"

"Oh… it's n-nothing…" Aura spluttered, shifting under his gaze.

He sat up slowly, and an unusual smile came to his face. Maybe it was just at that moment, but Aura thought that smile looked almost authentic; it kind of suited him. He merely motioned with his hand towards the bed – did he want her to sit down?

Her head in a tizzy, Aura shuffled over and sat down awkwardly on the edge of the bed. She didn't dare lift her gaze, as if scared he was going to hypnotise her or something. What was this all about?  
Marik disregarded her uneasiness and began talking.

"I realise you haven't yet been informed of my plans… and seeing as you're going to be involved soon enough, I thought I should explain – to save any unnecessary questions later."

Aura glanced up at him, but immediately turned away. He was staring at her, without a falter. It felt unnerving.

"The Battle City finals are beginning soon." He said, "Yugi Muto will undoubtedly be there, and so Odion and I will be entering also."

Yugi? _The _Yugi Muto? What did Marik want with the King of Games?

"I've decided I don't trust my poor excuses for servants enough to leave you here, so you will be accompanying us."

"What? But why…?" Aura blinked; she hadn't been expecting something like this.

"That boy holds something I seek… that's all you need to know."

What could Marik want from Yugi? Thinking about it, Aura realised that she indeed knew nothing at all about Marik or his plans… for certain, it was something he didn't want to reveal, hence her strict imprisonment.

"Why… do you hate Yugi so much?"

Her innocent question came as quite a shock.

Marik found her looking up at him, peering cautiously with emerald green eyes. He was a little taken aback.

Eventually he sighed, leaning against the headboard behind him and once again gazing at the ceiling. Words seemed to be rolling out of his mouth, without really thinking about them.

"…I come from a family of tomb keepers in Egypt. For generations we were tasked with guarding the secrets of the ancient Pharaoh… and the price for said privilege, was our liberty."

Aura was staring at him now; her face reddened upon realising. It was strange – had all this been bottled up in his mind?

"I grew to resent the Pharaoh. I'd been saddled with certain… responsibilities." He hesitated a little, his mouth curving into a frown, "Because of him, I was doomed to live down in the darkness forever. That is… until I learned of the Millennium Puzzle."

Aura raised an eyebrow; she wondered about this sudden change of attitude. Was he really being sincere?  
Nonetheless, she gasped silently, after discerning a hint of pain on his face – maybe there was a human side to this guy, after all.

"My search brought me here, to Japan. I discovered the Millennium Puzzle in the possession of a boy named Yugi… it was said to hold the spirit of the Pharaoh."

Just like Joey had said – a Pharaoh's spirit. Could such a story be true?

Marik lifted an arm above his head, stretching his fingertips and gazing idly at his open hand.

"The Pharaoh's power… if I obtain the Millennium Puzzle, and the three Egyptian God cards, _I'll_ be the king. The world will cower at my feet, and worship _me,_ as their new Pharaoh!"

He ended, by clenching his hand into a ball, and once again sitting up to look at her. She was still staring, filled with utmost wonder and slight amazement.

The idea of ruling the world still sounded ridiculous.  
But… she'd witnessed the power of the Millennium Rod first hand. Maybe it really was possible that his words were true…

Aura couldn't be exactly sure.

However she realised something: for the first time since she got here, she somehow felt like she understood Marik - just a little. The thought, for some reason, brought a tiny smile to her face; but she did well to hide it.

"And… what are you planning on doing with me?" she asked – the killer question on her mind.

Leaning towards her with a smirk, Marik took her chin in his hand – crazily enough, she found that she didn't want to pull away this time, as he'd been surprisingly more gentle than before. His face was softer, too.

"I'll certainly want to keep you around for a while… things have become a lot more interesting around here, since you came along."


	5. Chapter 5 : Morality

**A/N – At the commissioner's request, there will now be 10 chapters to this story instead of 7.**

…..

"Odion."

"Yes sir?"

"While I'm out, give Aura anything she requests. Any food she wants, she can have it."

"…Understood."

"Oh, and she may leave her room – as long as she is kept an eye on. Is that clear?"

"As you wish."

This was really weird.

It wasn't like Marik at all.

In fact, he seemed to be in a_ very_ good mood lately.

He had been leaving the hideout more often on occasions, too.

Maybe something was up? Aura couldn't help wondering, after her talk with him the other night…

All the same, she didn't complain, when she was allowed to eat as much cake and ice cream as she wanted. It was satisfying her sweet tooth tremendously.

Whenever Marik returned from his "errands" though, he'd always have something to say to her. It seemed he just couldn't resist digging at her, no matter what she did. One evening in particular he came in beaming, and Aura fully expected some sort of comment... She was right.

"You know, Aura… you have such strange eating habits - for a _lady_."

Aura scowled at him, unable to speak through a mouthful of chocolate, and that made him chuckle with glee.  
She'd noticed that Marik only really ate healthy foods – hence why he was showing contempt towards the sweets; and it was probably the reason for his amazing build, too…

There she went again.

Recently whenever she thought about the Egyptian boy, a blush would creep over her face and she would desperately try to think of something else. Such thoughts were getting more and more frequent now too; but Aura refused to admit to herself, that he was "cute", or "handsome", or anything of the sort.

…Anything at all.

But, just what was the guy up to anyway?

Aura's curiosity was getting the better of her… it _definitely _had nothing to do with these weird feelings she'd been having.

…Definitely.

She covertly decided to herself that next time, she would take the plunge and confront him about it.

…..

"Uh… Marik?"

The opportunity soon came, most unexpectedly.

Marik was on his way out again one early morning, but Aura found herself catching a hold of his arm as he passed by. It surprised the both of them.

"Let go." He said firmly, "What is it? I'm busy. If you want something, ask Odion to—"

"U-Um…I was just thinking about…" Aura stammered, not exactly sure of what she'd wanted to say, "I was thinking about what you told me the other night. You know, about the Millennium Puzzle and everything…"

Marik raised an impatient eyebrow. He was clearly restless, but slightly interested at the same time. He continued to look at her, as her face was turning red.

"Go on." He urged her.

Aura's blush darkened, and her eyes were darting all around the place unsure of where to look. She eventually fixed them safely on the floor, but she couldn't muster out any words.

"…Actually, my dear, your timing is perfect. Today will be the day that I can finally claim what's rightfully mine."

Aura jerked her head up, her breath stopping momentarily as he offered his hand out to her.

"Come along – I assure you things will be entertaining."

What the hell was going on?

First he was taking advantage of her and being a total evil freak.

And now, since the other night, he seemed almost… human!

The smile on his face was completely captivating. He was like a different person… or maybe she was just thinking _way _too hard about it?

But she couldn't help wondering… how he felt about her…?

"Well? Are you coming, or not?"

Aura snapped out of her thoughts, nodding quickly, "…Y-Yes. Yes, I am!"

…..

It only occurred to Aura afterwards that Marik was taking her out into Domino City. She was tasting her first bit of freedom after what had seemed like ages… or something remarkably close to it, anyway. She knew Marik had his Millennium Rod with him, and so there'd be no chance of her trying to run away this time.

"Get on." He instructed, casting something in her direction.

Aura caught it but stumbled a little; it was heavy.

"A helmet?" she wondered out loud.

Her eyes widened suddenly, as she looked up and saw Marik mounting a large black motorcycle, strapping on a helmet of his own.

"You can drive this?" she cried, clearly impressed.

Marik smirked from behind the helmet cover, and merely slapped the back of the seat behind him, telling her to sit.

Aura's heart was flurrying with emotions: she'd never been on a motorcycle before – it seemed a little dangerous and nerve wrecking – but she was also helplessly bursting with excitement. She hesitated a little, giving way to shyness, as she clambered carefully onto the back of the bike. She sat there awkwardly until Marik suddenly revved the engine, making her jump.

"Hold on then! Or do you want to fall off?" he shouted over the engine's roar.

Automatically, Aura lurched forward and wrapped her arms securely around his waist. She barely had time to assess the situation, before Marik shifted it into gear and began charging the bike down towards Domino pier.

…..

"Woah!" was Aura's first reaction, upon seeing the magnificent boat moored in front of her, after they arrived at the pier, "You're kidding… this is yours?"

The inside proved to be just as impressive as the outside. Marik merely laughed at her amazement, but never answered her. He was all the while smirking to himself, and seemed deeply lost in thought.

"So… what are we here for anyway?" Aura asked, attempting to make herself comfortable on a chair, "You never mentioned anything earlier."

Marik didn't answer her again; she was starting to feel ignored. When he did finally speak, she wondered if it were to himself… until she noticed that a couple of rare hunters had appeared from behind them.

"Is the girl secured?"

"Yes, master Marik. Everything has been done as you asked."

"Excellent… then we'll prepare Mr. Wheeler also. Yugi should be arriving at any moment."

"What?" Aura whispered – had she heard right?

Mr. Wheeler? Wasn't that…

"Joey… Joey Wheeler?" she cried, in confusion, "Is that who you mean? What's going on?"

"Patience, my dear. You'll see soon enough." Marik turned his head to her, and he was wearing a diabolical smirk. Aura felt her stomach upturn itself – all of a sudden, this didn't sound good.

"I-I thought you were after the Millennium Puzzle?" she stuttered, "What's Joey got to do with this?"

Marik paid no attention, as he was still talking discreetly with the rare hunters. Aura cried out angrily, to no avail. They all looked up however, upon hearing someone else enter the boat.

"Ah, good work. You've brought him, Odion."

"_Joey!"_ Aura was horrified; at first glance she could see something was wrong with him, "M-Marik… what have you done to him, you jerk?"

Marik let loose into cruel laughter; he approached Joey's motionless form with his Millennium Rod. Aura moved forward, but was grabbed back by one of the rare hunters.

"Joey! Can you hear me?" she yelled in distress.

The blonde boy's eyes were wide, and soulless. It made her feel sick looking at him – it was just like that thug before, on the first day that she had met Marik.

"He's my puppet, now." Marik sneered, taking delight in the moment, "And he's going to help me in getting what I want!"

…..

Aura soon learned the reason for Marik's good mood as of late.

He was convinced that this devious plan of his was sure to get him the Millennium Puzzle once and for all – then, it would be all too easy to obtain the remaining Egyptian God cards he needed.

He'd so far used his Millennium Rod to brainwash both Joey, and another girl named Tea Gardener. Aura had spoken to Tea a couple of times; she went to their school, and was friends with Joey and Yugi. At that time, the girl had been held in waiting, for the next phase of Marik's plan.

Detained securely in her chair by the rare hunter, Aura remained on the boat with Marik, who appeared to be controlling Joey from a distance using his Millennium Item. It had undoubtedly freaked her out, thinking she heard Marik's voice out of Joey's mouth.  
He really _had_ become a human puppet.

"What are you up to, Marik?" Aura spat, narrowing her eyes across the room at him.

He chuckled deeply, turning to her, "You little friend Joey is going to bring about the demise of his best friend; and win me that Puzzle as well."

Her eyes widened with horror, "Demise? What do you—"

"The duel is already underway." He said smugly, before turning and walking out on to the deck.

Aura attempted to jump from her seat, but she was curtly stopped once again. With a jolt, she managed to struggle and pull free of the cloaked minion's grip; immediately, she darted out after him, and instantly hit the crisp sea-salted air. It was a beautiful day outside.

From their place up on the boat, they could see all the way across Domino pier and also halfway over the city. Aura used a hand to shield her eyes from the blue sky and midday sun, as she effectively scanned the area.

"…What the?"

In the distance, next to the glimmering ocean, she could indeed see a duel going on. Her heart leapt suddenly when she recognised Joey's big blonde head.

"J-Joey! He's duelling… against Yugi!"

…and what on earth was an anchor doing hanging up above their heads? The whole scene was just screaming danger.

Marik tossed his head back, erupting into his exaggerated evil laugh.

"The loser of the duel will be dragged by that anchor into the ocean… and no matter the outcome, I _will_ have that Millennium Puzzle! Nothing can ruin this for me now!"

Aura looked on in sheer dismay, as he just continued to cackle away wickedly.

…

She'd been wrong – completely, entirely.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

How could she have ever thought that there was even a shred of morality… in this mad man?


	6. Chapter 6 : Deceit

"My Pharaoh… is something troubling you?"

"No, no… I'm fine…"

Aura's dream was much more vivid this time.  
She could see a lot more, and found herself surrounded by an exquisite interior; garishes of gold, along with precious reds and purples indicated that it was clearly some kind of palace. That same Egyptian Priestess from before was situated before a throne, waiting on a young man.

Aura could see the woman's face more distinctly; the image had been hazy in her previous dream. Her eyes were an extraordinarily deep brown – almost black, she thought – nothing quite like she had ever seen before. Despite this, she couldn't help feeling she knew her face from somewhere…

"My Pharaoh…"

Aura stood bemused. That voice… it was certainly heavier and rich, but it sounded an awful lot like…

"My Pharaoh…"  
Aura moved her lips, trying out the same words.

The personation was uncanny.

"Is that… me?" she wondered out loud.

How could it be? Wasn't this ancient Egypt – almost five thousand years ago?

But the more she looked at the woman in front of her, the scarier it became. It was like she was looking through a mirror: at another version of herself…

…..

"_YOU FOOL! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"_

Wretched screams awoke Aura suddenly from her illusory state; the radiant dreamscape rapidly melted away in front of her eyes. Before she could even begin to gather her bearings, her body was catapulted off her feet, after something icy and sharp struck her across the face.

Marik leered high above her, a look of thunder scored in every small feature of his face.

Aura blinked several times, before she felt the bitter sting surge through her. She reached up to her face but quickly recoiled – it hurt, a lot.

Her cheek was throbbing from where Marik had just hit her hard, and she was lying like a mite on her back against the cold wooden deck; they were still on the boat.

The pain had been instantaneous, and had quite rightly rendered her shell-shocked. She could only stare, wide-eyed and impotent under the murderous gaze of Marik.

The Millennium Rod was lying next to her, it's glow dying out.

"The loss of control over him for even a split second could be devastating!" Marik spat, stooping to snatch up his sceptre, "Doesn't it even occur to you how important this is for me?"

Leaving her to lie, he strode once again to the railing and stared out across the pier. He took one glance back at her, grumbling to himself.

"It's difficult enough trying to maintain my dominance over little Joey's mind… at this rate, he's going to break free of my control!"

Shaking her head lightly, Aura put a weighty hand to her brow. She was sweating terribly, and still shivering a little from the shock. Her eyes were a bit of a blur; she could barely keep up with what was going on.

Images of the dream were still waving through her head – it had been more like a severe daydream. Had she really just zoned out in the middle of the day? At such a dire moment?

She _did_ remember trying to take the Millennium Rod from Marik… and just like when she had been exposed to it before, she had suddenly found herself in the dream world.

"_Joey!_ I know you can hear me!"

The desperate high-pitched cries from Yugi Muto carried up through the ocean air; they could hear him even from all the way in the distance.

Meanwhile, Joey was clasping his head, throwing it around with intense pain, and screaming dreadfully.

"NO!" Marik bellowed, striking his Millennium Rod against the railing in a tantrum, "I'm losing control! His will is too powerful!"

"J-Joey…" Aura whispered; everything was starting to draw back to her. She had been trying to stop Marik's mind control over her friend – but was it already too late?

"The anchor is about to drop! But I can't see through Joey anymore – what's going on?"

Aura tried to stand up, gripping the railing for support. She dazedly watched as Odion approached Marik from behind, and said something she couldn't make out. Marik snapped back at him, his fury imminent.

"I can't believe this! I _won't_ believe it! How could I be outdone by those pathetic morons?"

Hearing a sudden tremendous splash, Aura shot her head out towards the sea. What had just happened?

"Joey?"

She was just in time to see the blonde emerging from the sea, gasping for air and dragging Yugi out with him. The anchor was already gone, and they were both alive.

Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh my God! They're… they're alright!"

…..

"Rrgh…!"

Marik thrust his head into his pillow, back at the hideout later that evening. He hadn't spoken to anyone since they got back – Odion was accustomed to his master's sulking though, and took it upon himself to escort Aura back to her room.

"How?" his shrieks were muffled into the pillow, but still very loud, "I was so _close!"_

He pounded his fist against the bed.

The Millennium Puzzle had slipped out of his grasp yet again. Joey had proved too strong for even his Millennium Rod – and that meddling Aura had just made things worse. Maybe he could have held his control for just long enough, if she hadn't…

…

There was still the Battle City finals.

In fact, they were approaching fast. Odion had already gone ahead and hacked the KaibaCorp system so that they could both participate. There was still a chance to grab the Puzzle, and the remaining God cards as well.

Huffing a deep sigh, Marik rolled onto his back and stared up nowhere in particular.

His hand was still burning a little.

"Stupid girl…" he growled through clenched teeth.

Why did she keep surfacing in his mind?

He'd never felt guilty before; so the sensation seemed a mystery to him.

"She got in my way… it was her own fault…" he quietly told himself. It fell flat in making him feel any better.

He mentally cursed at himself, hitting the pillow again with his fist.

Why was he wasting his time thinking about her? There were far more important matters at hand…  
The fact that he tried and failed to think about anything else just made him angrier.

He wanted to see her right now.

Yet he never wanted to see her again.

All of this thinking, he decided, was just simply not good for him.

…..

Things were incredibly awkward for the next week or so.

Aura didn't speak to Marik at all – she was still seriously beating herself up over what happened. Joey and Yugi had barely scraped out alive; but it tormented her to think that they could almost easily have…

"We're leaving."

Marik's voice barked at her; she noticed he wasn't looking at her directly.

Without a word, she headed out beside Odion, on their way to the stadium in which the Battle City finals were to be held.

Along the way, Marik kept on grumbling instructions at her, while she was only half-listening.

"Odion will be disguising himself under my name… during our time there, you must refer to me only as Namu. Is that clear?"

Marik was selfish – using people's lives and abusing his power as he pleased, in order to get what he wanted by any means.

Aura only wished she had realised that sooner.

"You are to keep a low profile, and do exactly as I say… Odion will be holding a fake Millennium Rod, but the original shall remain in my possession – so don't even think about trying anything. I won't have you ruining this chance for me."

Looks were certainly deceiving. If she hadn't already known Marik's true personality, she probably would never have guessed it… she may have even admitted to liking him.

But all he cared about was his power, and those ludicrous schemes for trying to "take over the world".

She was an idiot to think that he could have liked her back…

…..

"Aura? Aura's dat you?"

Marik's plan had begun. She held her breath, and forced a smile as Joey approached her within the stadium, with Yugi, Tea, and Bakura also in tow. They had reached the site of the tournament finals, and Aura feared what would happen if she didn't play along at this point.

"Hey guys." she said, attempting a straight face.

"Where the hell have you been?" Joey grabbed her shoulders, shaking her around, "Don'tcha know how worried we all were?"

"_You_ were especially worried though, huh Joey?" Tea giggled.

Joey frowned over his shoulder at her, before pulling Aura into a brief hug, "We wondered what happened… where the heck have you been all dis time?"

"Joey said you just disappeared, and you weren't coming to school." Yugi blinked up at her with adorable big eyes, "We were worried something might have happened to you!"

"In any case, I'm relieved you're alright." Bakura smiled gently at her, and she couldn't help smiling back. Even though she was being forced to act right now, nothing could have made her happier than being back with her friends – even if it were only for a little bit.

"Oh… and you're Namu, right?"

Tea was pointing to the Egyptian boy a little way behind her. He was wearing an innocent smile; a thoroughly convincing act.

"Yes, that's right. We've met before, haven't we?" he beamed.

"Woah woah woah, hold on!" Joey blurted, looking between Aura and Marik, "Did you two come here… _together?_ What's the deal?"

Aura's heart skipped a beat. Her mind searched frantically for some sort of excuse; she hadn't prepared herself for such a question. Fortunately, Marik took charge.

Abruptly, he stepped forward, and linked her arm with his.

"Oh… didn't she tell you?" he glanced sideways at her with doting smile, "I'm her boyfriend."

"_Whaaaaaaaat?"_ Joey voiced what everyone else was mentally yelling, "For real? How come she's never mentioned ya then?"

His questioning eyes were on her now. Aura laughed hurriedly, to stall for time.

"Oh, didn't I? Sorry! I mean… we only just met a while ago…"

"And you're _already _dating?" Tea raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"What she means is," Marik interrupted, "We only just got together. We used to know each other, while our families were living in Egypt."

"Ah yes," Bakura nodded toward Aura, "I remember you mentioning that your father was from Egypt."

"Y-Yeah." She nodded, laughing again; inside, it was taking all she had not to swing around and punch Marik's lights out.

Marik however, continued smiling, holding her arm even tighter as he went off into conversation, "So, did you guys all qualify for the finals too?"

"Yup!" Yugi grinned, flashing his six locator cards – the basic entry fee for the finals. The rare hunters had managed to steal enough of them to allow Marik and Odion in, as well.

"Aura insisted she come with me to cheer me on – isn't that sweet?" he said, turning to her again.

This actually made her blush, involuntarily; his expression was so soft – and so cute! It was a little creepy… but had the girlfriend-boyfriend cover _really_ been necessary?

"Hey, wait…" Aura looked up, suddenly remembering something, "I thought you weren't going to participate, Bakura?"

The white-haired boy blushed and rubbed his head, "Well, circumstances change, I suppose."

"Are you all ready to go?" a small, spunky-looking boy came bounding over to them; Aura recognised him as Seto Kaiba's younger brother, Mokuba.

"Huh? Go where?" Tea asked, tilting her head.

Kaiba himself suddenly appeared, smirking and looking up into the sky. Mokuba grinned too, and said, "This stadium's only here for show! The real Battle City finals are gonna take place… up in the sky!"


	7. Chapter 7 : Yami Marik

"Dis is AWESOME!"

Joey and the others were busying themselves, running to and fro, exploring every inch of Kaiba's magnificent aircraft. The Kaiba brothers had announced – much to everyone's surprise – that the semi-finals of the tournament would be taking place on his specially designed airship in the sky; and then later, the actual finals would be held on top of the Duel Tower on KaibaCorp island.

Aura wasn't so overly keen at that point. Fortunately, Kaiba hadn't outright objected to allowing her on board as a spectator; but it was Marik's "acting" that was bothering her immensely, to the point where she just couldn't settle down. It was bad enough having to pretend they were dating in front of her friends, considering all that he'd put her through until now.

"I need to talk to you." She spoke up sharply, purposefully in front of the others.

"Oh, uh, sure Aura." Marik blinked at her, in mock surprise; she really wished he wouldn't make faces like that.

Grabbing him suddenly by the arm, she pulled him through the main corridor of the airship, and into an empty room, closing the door behind them.

"Alright," she spoke slowly, with her back to him; she was actually a little nervous, considering she hadn't spoken to him alone for a while now. She still hadn't forgiven him for hitting her, either.

"What the heck are you playing at? I mean, pretending to be my boyfriend after all th—"

He cut her off, as all of a sudden he'd shoved her body back against the wall, and crashed his lips on top of hers.

In total shock, Aura's face bloomed bright red, and for a moment or two she had her eyes fixed wide open. She had been completely stunned, with her hands pushed back against the wall hardly keeping herself steady. It didn't take long, though, for her to succumb to the feeling escalating in her chest; she closed her eyes and relaxed her arms, lightly roping them around his neck.

Marik's lips trembled against hers; it was indeed a strange feeling.  
Very strange… but not bad either. This was the first time she'd ever…

Marik grunted, with a hint of lust, as he took her waist and allowed the other hand to cup the side of her face, deepening the kiss.

Aura found herself moaning gently into him – her mind had slumped into a pool of jelly, and she wasn't really thinking about what was going on. It was just such a heated moment; and it felt so right.

Having been caught off guard, Aura eventually had to push him off for a breath of air. No sooner had she gulped, his face was back on hers like a ravenous animal. She could hear his fervent groans, and thereby brought a smile into the kiss; it made her feel ecstatic knowing that he was enjoying it, too.

His greedy tongue silenced a sudden gasp from her lips; her body jolted, as she felt his hand gently brush against her chest. Slightly unsure, in the end she decided not to stop him. His hand was warm against her skin, as she felt him skim along her stomach, travelling up her blouse. She moaned helplessly, flushing even more shades of red as he played with her. For a moment it was as if her insides were on fire.

Trembling from over-excitement, Aura finally stopped him from moving any further. She pulled away and felt butterflies beating in her stomach, after seeing that his face was all flushed too. He was taking deep breaths, staring at her with emotions she couldn't identify. She was puffing heavily too, quite out of breath and still a little shocked. She could no longer hide the smile that had been threatening the corners of her lips. She could hear her heart beating, as he almost smiled too. Almost.

Abruptly, Marik released her from the wall, taking several steps back - as if unable to grasp what he had just done. His violet eyes were twinkling; for a moment, he seemed very far away.

"I-I'm… sorry." Was the first thing he said.

"Huh?" Aura's mind was still elsewhere; she blinked at him, as he pushed her aside and yanked the door open. He was about to march away, when she caught his arm.

"Wait!"

He turned back at her, gazing suddenly into her green eyes and feeling his own stomach lurch. What on earth was he doing?

"I said I was sorry!" he cried, narrowing his eyes and swatting her hand away. Shaking his head he made a rough noise, before latching the door and deserting her, all alone in the room.

Confused and somewhat stupefied, Aura just stared blankly at the door, her heart still pumping a mile a minute.

…..

Confining himself in the men's bathroom, Marik attempted to cool himself down by splashing water over his face.  
Still panting breathlessly, he held on to the sink, gazing frivolously at his reflection in the mirror.

"What on earth is wrong with me…?"

"_Hahahahaha…"_

"Rrgh…" Marik clasped a hand to his forehead, after a sudden swell of pain. It was as if something was writhing about inside his brain. A familiar voice…

He ran the cold tap, sloshing his face again with the water, only to gasp – his eyes were blurred for a split second, but he could have sworn he saw his reflection smirking, mockingly at him.

He exhaled.  
It felt like something had possessed him back there, making him do those things…

Or maybe he was just fooling himself?

He was admittedly fond of her, despite their brief time with each other… but, did he really have other, stronger feelings for her?

His desire had proved overwhelming, even for himself; and after the ruckus on the boat the other day, he couldn't be sure of how he felt. He'd tried to apologise back there – rather randomly and pathetically… of course it didn't feel like enough.  
Why did he even _care_ if she hated him now?

He groaned again with pain, closing his eyes tightly. This odious beating in his head just wouldn't stop. He blinked, feeling a little faint; his reflection in the mirror was slightly out of focus.

It was as if his soul was drifting, lost in darkness…

…and this strange great feeling, whatever it was, had shone in on him like an overpowering ray of light, throwing him completely giddy.

Aura Takano.

Was _she_ that light?

…

"_The duel between Joey Wheeler and Marik Ishtar will now commence. Please proceed to the top of the airship."_

The mechanical voice from the speakers boomed across the entire aircraft. Marik looked up – it was time for Odion to act, and duel in his place.

…..

"C'mon, Joey! Pummel that creep!"

Tea cheered the loudest from the sidelines, as everyone had gathered around to watch Joey's duel with "Marik."

Shrouded in his purple cloak, Odion stood up on the duelling field facing Joey, clasping the fake Millennium Rod in his hand. Meanwhile, the real Marik was standing amongst the others, and a considerable distance away from Aura. He fought the urge to look at her at all – he had been doing so since he returned from washing his face.

He made a deliberate effort to keep his eyes on the duel, and nothing else.

Aura on the other hand, was dying for him to look her way.

That whole moment with him had sent her mind whirling into even further confusion – her head was a total mix-up, but at that moment she was just itching to know what he was feeling.

Only Yugi seemed to have sensed the vibes between the two of them.

"Are you alright?" he asked Aura, in a strange voice.

Aura jerked her head around, wondering for a moment who had spoken, "O-Oh, Yugi… yeah, I'm okay."

She moved her head slightly as she examined him – for some reason he looked different. Was he taller? His hair and eyes were little unusual too.

"Really, are you sure?" he asked, again in that deep voice.

"Y-Yes! Totally fine!"

"Pharaoh," Tea suddenly said, turning to Yugi, "Things aren't looking good for Joey… I think Marik's about to summon his Egyptian God card!"

"Pharaoh?" Aura repeated, quite loudly.

At this point, Marik had turned to glance over at Yugi, too.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Tea cried, "I thought Joey had already explained to you… about the Pharaoh's spirit in the Millennium Puzzle? It's kinda hard to believe, but the Pharaoh shares a part of Yugi's soul."

"You can call me Yami." the youth smiled at her, quite charmingly.

"Pharaoh…" Aura repeated again, looking at him with astonishment. Now that she thought about it, this "other Yugi" looked almost like that Pharaoh from her dreams… a lot of crazy things had happened lately, so this didn't surprise her as much as it should have.

"Aaaaah!"

Everyone swivelled around to look up, as they heard an awful scream.

"I… I can't control it!" Odion cried; vicious sparks were flying everywhere from his Duel Disk.

"What happened?" Yami cried.

Only Aura noticed Marik narrowing his eyes at the scene.

It seemed Odion had tried to play the Egyptian God card his master had loaned him – as part of the disguise - but it was reeling rapidly out of control. This was supposed to be a game, but not even Kaiba's holographic technology could account for the dense smog swirling about in the air.

Crackles of ferocious thunder and lightning filled the sky above them, illustrating the God card's power. Aura had never seen anything quite like it – Marik's Egyptian God, the Winged Dragon of Ra, was certainly no ordinary monster.

"Gyaaaaaaahhhh!"

"JOEY!" everyone gasped, as bolts of lightning shattered down onto the arena; both Odion and Joey plunged to their knees and collapsed, completely out cold.

"No, Joey!" Aura clapped a hand to her mouth in horror; she and Yami made a move to help him, but Kaiba paced over.

"You can't step on the duel field while a game is going on!" he snapped, cold eyes flashing, "Move again and it'll cost the game for Wheeler."

"What?" Tea was outraged behind them.

Yami cast his eyes to the casualties, "Kaiba! Can't you see they're hurt?"

"Five minutes." Kaiba frowned, "I'll give them five minutes to get up. Whoever stays down, forfeits the match."

"You're sick!" Aura screamed, to which she received a cynical glare; she glowered back, feeling fury clawing inside of her.

Everyone was so focused on the situation at hand; nobody noticed Marik, having another one of his dizzy spells.

"Rrgh…" he grasped at his aching head.

"_You can't keep me out any longer… without Odion, you're nothing!"_

"I…"  
Marik breathed, blinking quickly.

Reality was suddenly dawning on him, at an alarming rate.

Odion was the only one who had always been there, always supporting him.

"_Give up! You can't hope to repress my existence! …Because I AM you!"_

Odion had been helping to suppress a lot of his anger up until now - keeping him sane, keeping him from stooping distantly into darkness…

And yet, he'd allowed this to happen.

The remorse, and rage he felt for his fallen servant… his friend… his _brother_… it was spinning his mind out of control. He couldn't hold it back anymore.

"J-Joey! He's getting up!"

Everyone was overjoyed to see that Joey had re-opened his eyes. The blonde seemed unfazed by the fact he'd just been unconscious; his eyes moved to Odion.

"Hey! Man, you okay?"

He approached Odion, along with the others, as the announcer had already declared Joey the winner by default.

Aura faltered; she'd almost spoken Odion's name as they neared him. She settled for shutting her mouth, and watched as the man was slowly coming to. The fake Millennium Rod beside him had fractured to pieces.

"M-Master…" he groaned weakly, his eyes shifting sideways, "I'm sorry… I've failed you…"

Befuddled, everyone followed his eyes toward Marik.

"Namu is his master?" Bakura asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Joey grimaced, "Hey, did that lightning frazzle yer brain or something?"

"Wait a second…" Yami's eyes widened, upon catching a glimpse of something gold on the Egyptian boy's belt, "That's… the Millennium Rod? But how?"

"I thought something was up…" Joey gritted his teeth, shooting to his feet and pointing dramatically, "…_he's_ the real Marik!"

At this point, everyone turned appallingly to Aura.  
Her eyes welled up in total dismay, "I-I'm sorry… I wanted to, but I couldn't say-"

She had barely whispered, but was cut off but a sudden loud roar from Marik. Everyone eyed him strangely, as a peculiar symbol lit up on his forehead, something like an Egyptian eye.

"I… was afraid of this…" Odion muttered.

"If you're not really Marik, den who the heck are you?" Joey demanded, "Even your Millennium Rod was a fake!"

Odion suddenly cried out with despair, "Beware…! Master Marik has a much… _darker_ side…"

Aura had been keeping her sights on Marik the entire time. It was as if he was transforming before her very eyes.

She goggled, as the Egyptian's hair flew up wildly in all directions; his muscles were suddenly larger, and his face had twisted into something savage and cruel. He'd stopped writhing and calmed down, all within a few moments.

Aura shook, "M-Marik…?"

"Heh heh…" his voice croaked, much deeper and more frightening, "The Marik you knew is gone, my dear… that feeble Odion knew he couldn't keep me away forever."

His eyes burned, with an evil, sadistic delight; it made Aura turn pale.

"I'm the true Marik – his hidden personality… his _Yami_."


	8. Chapter 8 : Insanity

"W-Where am I…?"

Marik's voice emanated through the black space. It was empty, but felt so crammed at the same time – he couldn't breathe properly.

"_Hahahaha!"_

"That laugh… I _know_ that voice! It's… it can't be…"

It was all in his head. He was choking on fear.

Marik stared around at the endless void, a sudden pang in his heart.

"Now I understand… Odion… and Aura too…"

Burying his face in his hands, his own laughter rang through his ears, madness rocking him to his core.

"I…I'm _so sorry!"_

The traces of goodness left in his soul had been completely swallowed; all that remained was the dizzying chaos and the remnants of his pitiful being, endlessly astray in darkness.

…..

"My poor brother…"

Concealed inside a lonely room on the airship, was a woman. Hidden away by a shawl, she gazed with sorrowful eyes out at the sky, as stars were beginning to blink into view.

"His mind was weak – engaged in some kind of inner conflict… could it have been to do with that girl I saw?" she spoke out loud to herself, her voice mellow, "And now that his most loyal guardian has fallen, Marik's dark side has been able to take advantage of him and break free. I can only fear what will happen next..."

She sighed to herself, her eyes overcast as she continued to stare idly out of the window.

The full moon had a forbidding glow that evening.

She paused, and glanced around just in time to see a shadow disappearing from her doorway. It had been edged opened an inch, and the light poured in from the hallway.  
Someone had been listening.

…..

Was it true? Was Marik really gone?

Aura just couldn't grasp that idea.

She had been assured, by both Odion and the Pharaoh, that Marik's "good side" had been taken over by some eccentric evil presence. This "Yami Marik" was a wicked spirit, who had been lying dormant inside of Marik's heart for ten long years, waiting for an opportunity to emerge. Everything had mounted in his mind driving him slowly insane, and so the evil managed to dominate, completely possessing his body.

As if things couldn't be worse, Odion had fallen into a deep state of unconscious, and was rushed straight into emergency care – with a critical condition, the doctors on board couldn't be sure of what would happen to him yet.  
While all duels had been postponed until morning, Yami Marik had up and vanished without a trace – nobody knew where he had disappeared to, and with everyone tucking in for the night Aura simply couldn't sleep. Kaiba, in his stubbornness, had refused to land the craft, and so they were quite stuck without a choice.  
Everybody, including Joey, seemed to believe that she had betrayed them, by not telling them about Marik's true identity; she was on sour terms with her friends to say the least, despite trying desperately to explain. Hence, she had been wandering around the airship on her own.

Now, after hearing what that mysterious woman had said back there, Aura just couldn't bear to leave her thoughts hanging. She just had to find him – if what she'd heard was true, then she held part of the blame for Marik's loss of control.

There was no chance he could get off the airship: they were miles up above the ground. So there was no way out… for anybody.

Her restless search ultimately brought her outside to the duel field. For the most part she had wanted to get some fresh air; but to her surprise, she found that she wasn't alone.  
She'd thought that everyone was in bed; but her eyes insisted that she could see two shady figures, standing and facing each other up on the arena.

"…Bakura?" her friend's name was a whisper on her lips; she then called his name louder, but was muffled by a sudden rush of wind. She clasped a hand over her ear, her hair flying all over the place while she screwed up her eyes.

A nasty tingle travelled down her spine, after the sound of laughter had filled her ears. She gasped.

"You fool… did you really think you stood a chance against me?"

Definitely that Yami Marik's voice.  
Hurriedly she rushed around, trying to get a clearer view. Was he duelling with Bakura up there?

She stopped suddenly in her tracks, just in time to see a light flaring brightly. Around Bakura's neck she spotted a bizarre golden hoop, with spikes projecting out on all sides; it had been radiating, but the shine was rapidly dimming. It had that same spooky eye symbol as the Millennium Rod and Puzzle…

Aura blinked fast – it seemed Bakura's body was slipping in and out of focus.  
She rubbed her eyes, but to no avail… Bakura was indeed vanishing, into thin air.

"Bakura!" she yelled, doing her best to clamber onto the duel field; it proved difficult wearing her chunky shoes, and she ended up kicking them off on the way up.

"Ah… what have we here?" Yami Marik stood on the opposite side, and had just finished snapping up his duel disk. It seemed their duel was already over.

"Bakura?" Aura cried again, stumbling as she made her way toward him; she wasn't thinking. It was as if he'd been a mirage, and was melting away the closer she got. By the time she reached him, he had already faded into a purple whisp. Marik was chuckling behind her.

"He got what he deserved."

"W-What have you done with Bakura?" Aura whirled around, meeting with the cruel face of Marik's Yami.

His likeness to the original was scary, but the notable differences in his figure were enough to persuade Aura that Odion had been right. Looking at him, he seemed like a powerful man, with a commanding air. While the good in Marik had been hard to see, it had at least been there; all she could see now in this man's eyes, was lunacy. Just being within a few feet of him gave her horrible chills.

"Bakura?" he asked, with a gleeful smirk, "If you mean the spirit of the ring… the fool thought he could challenge me for my Millennium Item. But he lost our little game; so I merely sent the shadows to feast on him. He'll _rot_ in darkness for all of eternity."

Aura pulled a face; the way he spoke reminded her a lot of how Marik had been when she'd first discovered his secret. She faltered, urging herself to remember the time he had revealed his past to her… she had witnessed a human side, a _good_ side.

And there was that kiss, too…

She knew there was more to Marik – this evil may have been born of him, but it was only a single part of the whole.  
She'd come to understand; her feelings were becoming difficult to hide, and she'd started to accept them… despite everything that had happened, it was strange.

"You look similar, but… you're not really him."

Without warning, she'd felt a keen twinge in her stomach. Her heart was racing, and she suddenly couldn't stop herself.

"Hm?" Yami Marik raised an eyebrow, as Aura lengthened her arm and pulled out her duel disk. He smiled with amusement, as she glared back.

"I'll challenge you right here and now… and if I beat you, then you have to give the_ real_ Marik back!"

…..

Yami Marik had eventually agreed to the duel, not without fully laughing his head off – but unfortunately, it had gotten off to a terrible start for Aura. It had only been a couple of turns and she was already thoroughly sick of his excessive taunting and cackling.

The man's demented eyes twinkled, as he enjoyed tormenting his latest victim, "Are you beginning to sweat, my dear?"

Aura ignored him, "I'll play Card Destruction!"

She slammed the thin square of cardboard onto her duel disk; she was letting her emotions get to her.

Yami Marik did nothing to acknowledge whether it had been a good or bad move, and that made Aura nervous; he could have at least smiled, or frowned, or battered an eyelid, she thought.  
Nonetheless swiftly, they both discarded the cards in their hands and drew others in their place.

"Yes!" Aura suddenly cried out in squeaky delight; she'd been waiting for this chance, ever since learning of Marik's Egyptian God card.  
He had bragged at the start of the duel about how he'd been able to draw his Winged Dragon of Ra in the first turn - and that gloating, had just made this next move entirely possible.

"Now then," she grinned in his direction, "I'll play Monster Reborn! And since it allows me to take a card from either of our graveyards, I'll choose to resurrect… _your_ Egyptian God!"

With a mighty howl, the divine creature seemed to barge free of the card in her hand; it soared up into the air, giant wings blazing red, enough to light the heavens. It was certainly a very majestic, and strikingly beautiful monster, despite being only a KaibaCorp hologram – for a moment she was completely taken by awe. Pleased with herself, she was grinning from ear to ear, as she glanced over at Yami Marik.

She was appalled by the twisted smile on his face. Her opponent was gazing up at the Winged Dragon, flames dancing in his eyes, as he roared into a fit of maniacal laughter. Aura could only stare in bewilderment.

The duel had been turned against him – so why was the guy raving like a complete nutcase?  
At least the old Marik had only been putting on the drama. This Yami of his made no real sense at all.

"Foolish girl!" the man thundered, "The Winged Dragon of Ra won't obey those who are unworthy! Such a pathetic duelist cannot _hope_ to control it!"

Offended, Aura scoffed. She yelled with outrage.

"Winged Dragon of Ra!" she commanded loudly, over its monstrous cries, "Listen to me! Attack his monster _now!"_

Yami Marik abruptly shut his mouth.

To his shock, the Egyptian God was firing an attack right in his direction. With a devastating sound, enough to shake the sky, his own monster was incinerated to pieces, while a huge portion of his life points were blown away.

"Rrgh…! But _how?_" he cried, shielding his eyes momentarily from the blast; he scowled in her direction, "_I see…_ so this girl must have ties to the Pharaoh and ancient Egypt. That's the only explanation for her being able to command Ra."

Astounded, Aura looked on as Ra suddenly began to dissolve, in a shower of gold. Yami Marik was smirking now, beginning to laugh again.

"Too bad for you… magic cards like your Monster Reborn only last for one turn when used on an Egyptian God monster!"

Aura was gawking at the now empty gap in front of her; she hadn't known that particular rule. But, having Ra on her side for one turn had surely been worth it, as it had put the odds in her favour…

However her triumph wasn't to last long.

Yami Marik drew his next card; his eyes relished on it.

"But one turn…" the madman sneered, "…will be all I need to wipe you out!"

He chuckled darkly, as he flashed a Monster Reborn of his own.

…..

"What the heck was dat…?"

Joey groaned, still half-asleep. He'd been rudely awakened by a dreadful sound; it was a lot like the freakish cry he'd heard during his duel with Odion, when the servant had attempted to summon Marik's Egyptian God card.

Leaving his roommates to sleep, he quietly got up and crept out into the hall. Looking around, he could have sworn he'd heard the noise coming from above him…  
Letting interest get the better of him, he quickened his pace and headed up towards the top of the craft.

He received an immediate surprise.

"What da heck?" his eyes popped open, now wide awake.  
He had arrived outside to see a behemoth of a monster rising up over the arena, surrounded by touches of fire and lightning; it looked quite extravagant, with the moonlight gleaming against its body. So, his ears hadn't deceived him after all.

"Dat's Ra? But then… who's duelling?"

…..

Aura fell to her knees, clutching her chest and hauling air painfully.  
That Winged Dragon's assault had completely bowled her over – the burn from its direct attack had felt so real. It had indeed been successful in leaving her breathless, and wiping out the remainder of her life points.

She had never suffered a sorrier loss – this guy played differently to Marik; he was far more devious, and unforgiving.

She suddenly flinched, feeling a cold shadow pass over her. She didn't have time to lift her head, as she was sharply pulled up by her chin.

"Game over, my dear." the Egyptian whispered, almost seductively; Aura trembled on reflex.

She clenched her teeth, glowering with all her might. She'd been trounced with the sting of utter defeat, squandered of her efforts. It had been over so fast - she hadn't counted on him being so skilled.

"You surprised me, though." He admitted, still cupping her chin with a smirk as he leaned closer, "I must say… I was impressed that you could command my God card."

Aura froze, feeling her heart ice over, as she caught him taking out the Millennium Rod from the corner of her eye.

"The price is heavy when you lose a shadow game, my dear… I hope you're prepared for the consequences."

He was gazing into her now, with a psychotic and inhuman expression; bizarre as they sounded, his threats seemed deadly serious. Aura's breath caught in her throat, as she watched him unsheathe the Millennium Rod – she hadn't realised before that it was held inside a thin gold case – and revealed a dagger, glinting dim as the stars. Yami Marik grinned openly, at the terror on her face. He leaned closer still, his face millimetres apart from her own, and lapped at her cheek with the tip of his tongue.

"Or perhaps…" he was almost inaudible, "I won't destroy you… yet. I've been thinking, I'll need a worthy queen to stand by my side, once I take over this pathetic world."

At this, Aura cried out – the burn in her chest was taking its toll, mixing with the cold feeling of sweat on her head. His lips were drawing on hers - until there was a sudden shout.

"STOP!"

Yami Marik shifted quite expertly to the side, dodging a fistful from Joey. He rose just as deftly to his feet, taking steps backward as Joey took Aura into his arms.

"Get the _hell_ away from her!" Joey had never sounded so serious; he had a menacing glare fixed on Marik.

Aura, lost for any kind of movement or words, just stared up at the blonde, her eyes glistening. He turned to her, fighting back the shake in his voice, "Are you alright, Aura?"

She managed a nod, before he swerved back to the man.

"Who d'you think you are? You wanna mess with her, you'll have to go through _me!_"

"Is that so…? Well, if you insist…"

Aura whimpered, "Joey, I…"

"Listen, I'm sorry…" he said quickly, shaking his head, "I realised dat… dat it wasn't your fault! I'm sorry I doubted you, Aura… he was manipulating you, holding you prisoner… I just wish I'd realised sooner… I coulda helped you-"

Aura stopped him dead, suddenly screaming.  
Joey was shocked into action, rolling out of the way with her, as Yami Marik cut clean through the air over their heads with his Millennium Rod. He'd caught a tear in Joey's face, drawing blood on the end of the dagger.

"Next time, I won't miss…" he chuckled, advancing towards them in huge strides.

"Get back!" Joey cried hoarsely, shoving Aura to the side but blundering in the process. He fell clumsily back to the ground, and Aura was pulled back with him.

Without time to act, Joey attempted to shield her with his own body. The Yami came into sight above them, his eyes flashing insanely as he brandished the dagger. Aura shrieked from her lungs.

"OHMYGOD! Joey, _look out!"_


	9. Chapter 9 : His Queen

"OHMYGOD! Joey, _look out!"_

"That's _enough!"_

A shining glow dazzled their vision; Yami Marik was suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Who dares?!" he hissed, being forced to cover his face and back off.

Joey took the opportunity to scramble to his feet, pulling Aura with him; they darted behind the safety of their rescuer.

After the brightness had died down, a bloodless scowl could be seen plastered across Yami Marik's face.

"_Ishizu…"_ he spluttered the name like it were a poison.

Aura blinked, staring stupefied up at the shawl-draped woman who had just saved their lives. She was glaring down Yami Marik, without a falter – Aura guessed she had rights to be confident, as her strange necklace had seemingly just dispelled the Millennium Rod. Looking to kill, Yami Marik glowered at them each in turn, before turning on his heels and abruptly slinking away.

"He's gone… for now…" Joey puffed; his heart was still pumping from the adrenaline rush. He wouldn't have admitted, though, that he'd seriously panicked.

Aura slumped to her knees, trying to catch her breath. If this woman had arrived any later than she did, then they surely wouldn't have made it.

"W-Who… who are you?" she murmured between gasps.

Joey looked up at the stranger, obviously wondering the same thing.  
The Yami had called her Ishizu… so he already knew her?

With a swift movement, the woman removed her shawl, revealing a beautifully sculptured face, framed by raven hair and a stunning gold tiara, to match her necklace. Like the ring she had seen on Bakura earlier, Aura guessed that this necklace, too, was a Millennium Item.

"You saved us…" Aura managed a tiny, grateful smile, "Thank you…"

The woman smiled back, but her jewel blue eyes were stern.

"My brother's dark side is dangerous… unfortunately I won't be able to protect you, or myself for much longer. The further his soul steeps into darkness, the more powerful the evil spirit becomes."

"Wait!" Joey shook his head, "What are you talking about?! I don't get it!"

She had a solemn expression, as she began to unfasten the chain from her neck. She held the Millennium Item in her hand, gazing at it intently.

"My necklace has done a good job in protecting me thus far… but it's about time for me to pass it on, to the rightful Pharaoh."

Aura tilted her head, confused, as Ishizu began to walk away.

"H-Hold on!" she cried.

But the mysterious woman had already vanished.

…..

Thanks to Ishizu – whom they discovered was Marik's older sister – both Joey and Aura were able to survive that night.

They weren't sure their stomachs had sustained themselves during the scare, though.

There was no doubt Yami Marik was a lunatic. For the remainder of the semi-finals on Kaiba's aircraft, the two of them found themselves increasingly nervous whenever he _wasn't_ around… they could never be sure of what he was up to, lurking about, but thankfully with everyone else close by, he wasn't inclined to make another move… yet.

They soon learned that his primary goal was obtaining all three of the Egyptian God cards, and Yugi's Millennium Puzzle – but according to Ishizu, the ancient scriptures foretold that he would need to obtain them by defeating the respected owners, in a game of Duel Monsters; hence why he was holding back from anything too rash.

Kaiba failed to believe Joey's accusations that Marik had tried to kill them, and so he continued conducting the tournament as he'd so properly prepared – it seemed nothing would get in his way of the chance to beat Yugi in his own tournament… not even the fact that Bakura had gone missing.

It was useless to argue; for now, there was no choice but to press on with the games. Ishizu urged that they could save all the people Marik had hurt, including her real brother, if they could stop his evil side from claiming victory in the tournament.  
It seemed like no simple task.

…..

Not long after, the time arrived for the Battle City finals on KaibaCorp Island.

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon! _Attack!"_

Joey was fairing a lot better than Aura had done – the majority of his deck involved strokes of luck, and he was landing a lot of them so far.

But Yami Marik proved, once again, to be a tricky opponent.

"Hahahaha! Too bad, fool – did you forget about my face down trap card!?"

Joey flinched, "Aaack!"

"Activate Mirror Force!"

A translucent barrier cloaked Yami Marik's side of the duelling field, causing Joey's attack to rebound and destroy his own monster in a vivid explosion of sparkles. The blonde frowned.

"You're being reckless, Joey!" the Pharaoh called angrily.

Marik had taken over his mind once before; so he, Yugi, and everyone else feared that something might happen to Joey again, if the boy continued to make such careless moves.

"I have to win this!" Joey snapped back, keeping his eyes fixed only on his adversary, "I'm doing this for all the people who've been hurt by this creep!"

Aura bit her lip, "Joey… the Pharaoh's right! You can't rush your attacks!"

She was anxious more than anyone; the memories of Bakura disappearing into thin air kept haunting her, clear in her mind. On top of that, Marik's dark side was just so unpredictable – they had no idea what to expect.

"And don't forget!" Yami Marik's eyes lit up as he gave a toothy grin, "Thanks to my Coffin Seller trap, you lose an extra three hundred points for every monster that went to your graveyard!"

"Whaaaat?!" Joey's mouth fell open, as his life point counter reeled downwards; his haste had cost him a hefty penalty of life points, and a handful of monsters as well.

"Oh, and there's more to come…" the madman's eyes twinkled, "Haha! I haven't had my fill of tormenting you yet, little Joey!"

"Shut up! Just go!"

Yami Marik smirked, as Joey was clearly trying cover his nerves, "You have no cards in your hand, so it's my move – and I'll activate Machine Duplication!"

One Plasma Eel on Marik's side became three, thanks to his spell card. Joey pulled a face; they were only weak monsters anyway.

"Why would Marik do that?" Tea wondered out loud, a finger on her chin.

Aura was confused too; but then the answer struck her like a bombshell.

"_Oh no!"_

"What is it?!" everyone turned to look at her.

"Three monsters on his side…" her eyes had dilated, "He's going to…"

Only the Pharaoh caught on.

"…He's going to summon Ra!"

"_Hahahahaha!"_

Marik's laughter rang out, as his Egyptian God monster burst forth in all its fiery glory. With a cry it shook its magnificent wings, raining embers down on the field below.

"What's wrong, little Joey?" the Yami taunted, "Are you finally accepting your imminent demise!?"

Aura grimaced at the all-too-familiar God monster, "It's attack power isn't very high, but…"

She remembered well the burning sensation she'd felt, after the direct attack from Ra during her duel. Yami Marik clearly enjoyed torturing his opponents; and the shooting pain inflicted by Ra had been scarily real… it must have been to do with these "Shadow Games" Marik had spoken about.

Aura shook her head and cried out, "Joey! You can't let him attack with that thing! Please just step down while you can—"

"Are you kidding?!" the blonde turned to her; an assured smile on his face, "I can take this… he's hurt you, and a lotta others too. I might lose here, but there's no way I'm backing out now!"

"Such bravery… but words mean nothing against Ra's might! Now my beast, _attack!"_

No sooner had Marik called his command, than the Winged Dragon had descended toward Joey like a giant, flaming bullet.

"_**GYAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"**_

"JOEY!" everyone was thrown about by the shockwaves; a wall of fire sprung across the field, leaving shallow burns in its wake.  
The direct attack was devastating, and cost Joey a lot more than the rest of his life points.

…..

"Joey! Please… please wake up!" Tea snivelled by his bedside aboard Kaiba's airship.

The duel had abruptly ended, with Joey out cold. He had been whisked down from the tower, and taken to the doctors still aboard the landed craft.

"No…" the Pharaoh screwed up his face in dismay, as the doctors were trying their best to monitor his pulse. The readings were miniscule.

"This is the result of Marik's Shadow game…" Ishizu was sombre, "I'm so sorry that this happened…"

The woman glanced around momentarily; she'd quietly noticed that Aura was missing from the room. In fact, she didn't recall Aura even coming with them to the aircraft. Was she still up in the tower?

"Well, my dear… it seems there's nobody left to save you this time."

Aura was frantic; she was mentally kicking herself for being so stupid as to wander away from the others. During all the frenzy of trying to rush Joey to the doctors, Yami Marik had seen his opportunity to snatch the girl and take her alone to a hidden room in the tower.

The muscular Egyptian man had a firm grip. His hand had locked tightly around her wrist, and there had been no chance of struggling away. He now had her pressed up against a wall, taking pleasure in ogling and watching fear dart about in her eyes.

"My dear sister was foolish to give up the one thing she could use to protect you… and now poor little Joey is gone too… there's _nobody_ left." The man's whisper teased her ear, making the girl shudder. She trembled, her form quite small and powerless in comparison to his.

With a rapid jerk, he seized both of her arms up in one large hand, pinning them harshly above her head. Aura was about to cry out, but her lips were suddenly swallowed up by his mouth. He kissed her with forceful lust, running his free hand all across her body as he did so, claiming it for his own.

Aura moaned sharply in protest, adamant that she wouldn't give in – despite the difference in dominance. The way he touched and fondled her, with such disrespect, made her feel frighteningly vulnerable; she suddenly thought she might shatter in his grasp, or certainly bruise.

The Yami took his time exploring every inch of her mouth, selfishly cutting her off from any air. Aura felt her face flush, hot and scarlet, as his prowling hand began to slip underneath her skirt. She attempted a groan, but was beaten back by the aggression of his tongue. The skin on his hand was rough, as he caressed her inner thigh, and climbed higher still.

Aura's eyes popped open; she couldn't allow this to happen. She shifted her body weight, using all her strength to try and negate his advances; but Yami Marik's mouth still stuck to her like a leech. She did, however, stop his hand, and he instead used it to push her back and hold her securely against the wall. He moved to her chest, groping and squeezing quite hard; he was clearly getting carried away.

It wasn't long though, before he started travelling up her leg again. Aura's eyes were slightly swollen from all the pent up frustration; it was taking a lot of effort to hold in her emotions. She drew a deep breath, after he finally ceased in violating her mouth.

"You see? You're powerless…" he hummed against her skin, pecking her teasingly on the neck.

The girl beneath him had disintegrated, her eyes clouding over and her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She felt sick; inflamed from within.  
What scared her most was his eyes: the first time she'd met Marik, those violet eyes had been so… gorgeous.

His Yami was like a different man – only with Marik's eyes.

For some reason, that thought was the only thing running through her mind while she gawked at him.

She'd momentarily zoned out.  
Willing herself back into action, she took advantage of the second, shifting again and catching him off guard. He staggered backwards, but was quick to snatch her up again.

"Still with the feisty spark… I like that." The man's tone was deep now, full of appetite, "Yes… you'll be perfect as my queen."

"_Never."_ she spat; despite her sorry state, Aura's spirit was still alive within her. She wasn't going to just let him do what he wanted… so long as she could do anything about it.

The Egyptian merely snickered at her defiance, regarding her with lechery.

"Once I defeat the Pharaoh in this final duel… you will be _mine."_

It seemed a _very_ long time, before at last the announcer called the start of Marik's duel with the Pharaoh: the concluding duel of the Battle City tournament…


	10. Chapter 10 : What is important

Marik had finally realised – but it was far too late now.

"Aura…I…"

Forced to watch through the eyes of his Yami side, it sickened him to look at the girl being taken advantage of… seeing her sweat, hearing her cry, and watching her flinch, as the Yami did whatever he pleased.

It was infuriating… and at the same time it flooded him, with dreadful guilt.

Is that how_ he_ had acted with her, that one time before…?

His feelings towards her were greatly amplified in his Yami, being twisted into more perverse desire. He hadn't the strength, or the will, to hope to control his evil.

No doubt Yami Marik was showing him all this on purpose – to break him, even more so.

"Aura, I'm sorry… I'm _s-so sorry…"_

His fading spirit repeated sadly over and over, his voice growing soft as the good part of his soul was gradually vanishing.

He'd lost all hope for regaining control of his body again. Yami Marik had stolen his life; and now, too, the girl he'd grown to feel for…

His dark side had won.

…..

"No! You haven't won yet, Marik!"

The Pharaoh bellowed, while his crazed opponent stood rocking with horrible laughter.

The crowning duel of the tournament was underway.  
Yugi's counterpart had well succeeded in beating Kaiba at his own game; and now he stood atop the duel tower, facing his final opponent – only Aura could fully understand what was at stake.

Still shaken from the duration alone with Yami Marik, she was mocking a brave face as she stood on the sidelines watching the game unfold. She hadn't spoken a word about the incident; everybody had assumed she was all red and flustered because of what happened earlier with Joey.  
…The blonde still hadn't come around yet.

If Yami Marik were to win here, he'd obtain the Pharaoh's power locked inside the Millennium Puzzle… and ultimately, truly be able to conquer the world. Shaking like a leaf, Aura compelled herself to stay strong; she simply couldn't run away now.

Joey wouldn't have done, after all.

"Y-You… you just _can't_ let him win, Yugi!"

The Pharaoh wheeled around, after Aura's sudden outburst. He regarded her seriously, with strong eyes; as he nodded and uttered, "Don't worry… I won't."

"Hahahaha! You're very confident!" Yami Marik taunted loudly, "That was the _same _mistake that little Joey made!"

Aura's expression quickly warped into a scowl; her hatred for him would evermore intensify, each time he let loose that senseless laugh of his. Hearing him mention Joey suddenly made her furious, rather than afraid.  
Yami Marik's eyes laid on her, noticing her change of face as he grinned wickedly.

"My my, what a scary look. It's not very becoming of you, my dear."

"Look who's _talking!"_ she yelled, raising a fist in the air; Ishizu held her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

"Leave her, Marik." The Pharaoh asserted, "This battle is just between the two of us!"

"Hmm hmm…" he chuckled, his eyes alight, "You're mistaken, Pharaoh… you forget that my weaker side is involved in this conflict, as well!"

The Pharaoh gave him a look, raising his eyebrow, before picking up on a small voice.

"…A-Aura…"

The girl froze, her face turning pale.  
Her heart sank like a stone, upon hearing her name being called, ever so weakly. Throwing her head over both shoulders, she saw no trace of the owner – but she had recognised the voice straight away.

She called out, _"…Marik?!"_

"What's the meaning of this?" the Pharaoh glared daggers across the arena, "Explain this, now!"

The Yami had a disturbing smile spread all over his features, "You're all familiar with my weaker side, correct? The so-called good spirit that Ishizu mentioned… he's wasting away, suppressed by my presence. He can still see what's happening here through my eyes… because I was born of his hatred toward the Pharaoh, after all."

"What?" Aura breathed, unable to follow all of what was going on; she was still glancing around after the voice.

"Soon, his spirit will be too weak… he will no longer survive in this world! And before he vanishes, I'll make sure he bears witness to the taking of my new queen, and also… your bitter end, _Pharaoh!"_

"You're wrong! Marik's good side can still vanquish you!" the Pharaoh declared, to which he received a conceited smirk.

"He's lost in darkness!" the Egyptian shrieked, posessed by his own ego, "He created me, and now there's no way he can get rid of me! Hahahahaha!"

Aura turned to him as he laughed, hesitating in thought. She shook her head slowly.

"You're wrong!"

"Hm?" the Yami veered toward her, his lip curling. He watched as the girl's eyes glimmered, showing tiny traces of hope.

"M-Marik!" she called out, her heart jittering suddenly, "You… you created this monster, right?! He's a part of you, so… only you can get rid of him!"

Yami Marik continued to glare down with contempt. He rudely snapped, "What are you babbling about?!"

Turning a deaf ear to him, Aura cried even louder, "Marik! You can hear me, right?! You need to take back your control over him!"

"I… can't…"

His voice floated out of nowhere. It was terribly quiet… but it was _there._

That meant: he could definitely hear what she was saying.

"Don't let him get to you!" Aura protested, ignoring as well the doubtful faces of those around her, "I… I know there's good inside you! You can still change…"

"Enough!" Yami Marik sneered, growing irritated, "You think he's listening?! It's already too late for him!"

Aura felt a sting in the corners of her eyes. She opened her mouth, but choked back on her words.

"Y-You can't disappear… I… I d-don't know what I'd do if you…"

…..

'_She's concerned for me…?_

_Impossible._

_After all I put her through…?_

_She's crazy… _

…

_Maybe crazy enough… to care about someone like me?_

…

_But, I think I understand, though._

_I was confused, too…_

_And now, after seeing through my the eyes of my dark side,_

_I've realised what's really important to me._

…_I want to tell her._

_Tell her how I feel._

…

_But, it's too late now._

_I wanted to apologise to Odion, and Ishizu…_

_And Aura… I just wish I could…'_

"Master Marik! You can't give up!"

'_What…?_

_That can't be…_

…

_It can't?!'_

…..

Sure enough, a being had appeared at the top of the tower, yelling loud enough to drill through to Marik's good spirit.  
He looked like a wreck; he had clearly dragged himself up there, all the way from his bed in the aircraft infirmary.

"O-Odion?!" Aura cried, frankly shocked; he was supposed to be in a coma.

"M-Master…" the servant blinked wearily, as if he would collapse at any given moment; Ishizu was first to rush to his aid.

"This is incredible…" she murmured, while helping Odion to sit down, "His will to protect my brother must have been so powerful that…"

"Odion…" Aura whispered; staring astonished along with everyone else. She'd felt a warm sensation in her chest – his devotion and loyalty proved admirable.  
The man seemed to be keeping himself awake on pure determination alone.

"Fool!" Yami Marik jeered, his face livid, "I should have killed you when I had the chance, Odion!"

Aura's expression had softened, touched by Odion's entrance. She found her eyes wandering to the Pharaoh, who was actually smiling now.

"You're right, Aura."

He hadn't spoken very loudly, but everyone had turned to look at him, including the enraged Yami Marik. The Pharaoh addressed the man.

"She's right! I think Marik's good side can return to us; because like you said… he _created _you, after all!"

The Egyptian's face had toned red with rage; a vein burst in his forehead at hearing his own words being used against him.

"Silence!" he roared, "Rrgh… It's _my _move now, so stand back!"

The Pharaoh glanced at Aura from the corner of his eye, and gave her a wink; she was overcome with a grin.

She felt sure now that her words had gotten through to Marik's good side…

And hopefully Odion's arrival had been the last push of encouragement he had needed.

Now it was just up to the Pharaoh to keep the dark side from winning the duel, and thus defeat the evil once and for all.

…..

"This attack will _devastate _you, Pharaoh!"

Yami Marik's shouts and endless psychotic cackling hardly sounded human anymore.  
Once again, he had managed to summon his Winged Dragon of Ra, and it rose up against the Pharaoh's Egyptian God, Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"What are you up to, Marik?!" the Pharaoh cried, as the demented man had crossed his arms quite dramatically over his chest.

"I'm going to fuse myself with my Egyptian God monster, to boost his power!" he shrieked, eyes almost glowing; everyone was glancing worriedly at each other. The man's sanity seemed to be going to pieces: the madness was getting to be too much.

"One attack, and it'll be your _end!"_

"What are you talking about?! You're out of your mind!" the Pharaoh yelled back.

But sure enough, before everyone's eyes, the Egyptian seemed to be shrinking away into smoulders of dark shadow. Aura's breath caught in her throat, being reminded of what had happened to Bakura before.  
Everyone's eyes travelled upward: Yami Marik's body seemed to be re-materializing up in the air, half-attached to Ra's head as if their forms were one in the same. It was like something out of a bizarre nightmare.

"Impossible…" Ishizu murmured, "He's bending the rules to his advantage!"

"It must be because of this weird Shadow game of his!" Aura cried; eyes narrowed as she watched the Yami almost totally fade away from the field…

Almost.

"_Now's my chance…"_

"W-What?!"

With a chorused gasp, everyone marvelled at the dancing whisps of purple and black being swept around in the air.  
Only the ghostlike eye remained floating, in the middle of the arena; while the rest of Yami Marik's body had been blurred black by the shadows. Ra seemed to be disappearing, too.

"_I'm taking back my body, now!"_

"NO! You can't!"

"_You let your guard down… now I'll set things right, and surrender this duel to the Pharaoh!"_

"YOU CAN'T! I… I'm the one in control!"

The dilated eye on the field was quaking, quite vigorously; everyone felt a chill in their bones, hearing Yami Marik's screams repeat all around them. The remainder of his body looked as if it were evaporating; and it was clearly painful for him.

"What is going _on?!"_

The Pharaoh, among the rest of the spectators, had been left aghast.

"Master Marik!" Odion suddenly cried, trying to stagger to his feet.

Aura swung around, meeting with shock as she saw another figure becoming visible, on the spot where the Yami had been standing before. The silhouette had caved to their knees, clutching their head in both hands.

"M-Marik!" Aura exclaimed, making a dash for the arena; the announcer was at loss with everything that had been going on, and Kaiba didn't protest this time, rather staying silent.

Both Aura and the Pharaoh hurried over to the collapsed figure, as the shadows were slowly clearing off. Yami Marik's screams were still ringing, but had grown muffled as they were slowly withering away.

It seemed the evil had, somehow, been conquered.

…..

"Hm…? Where am I?"

A white mop of hair shook around, as its owner moved to his feet.

"Hmm… this is odd… I can't remember anything. Am I still on Kaiba's aircraft?"

Bakura scratched his face, wandering around aimlessly.

"…I wonder where everybody went to? I hope they didn't leave without me!"

"O-Oh my Gosh!"

He was startled by a sudden sharp trill; he followed his ears, down towards the aircraft infirmary. Poking his head around the door, he saw Tea bursting into tears, while a blonde-headed boy was sitting up in a bed.

"Huh… where am I?" the bed-ridden asked the same question, but was thrown off balance when Tea suddenly flung her arms around his neck.

"Joey! W-We were all so worried!"

"H-Hey… knock it off, will ya Tea? I'm fine… look, see?!"

…..

"Marik's evil side is gone… and now all of those people who were lost in the Shadow Realm should be regaining consciousness."

Ishizu was smiling gently beside Odion, as the two of them looked on. Aura and the Pharaoh were surrounding Marik, both with huge smiles themselves.  
The announcer, meanwhile, was busy declaring Yugi Muto the Battle City champion.

"It's all over now…" with a flash from the Millennium Puzzle, the Pharaoh had allowed little Yugi back in control; his adorable eyes glistened with joy.

Aura's eyes were shining too, with just one or two tears.

"You beat the dark side…" she said, her eyes locked with Marik's. The violet colour in his was a little hazy, while he was still coming around.

"I…" was all he could utter, but his relieved expression spoke volumes. They were all blown over by the moment, and the invisible fog of shadows over the arena seemed to have lifted.

It took Aura a second to realise that Marik was smiling at her. She tinged a rosy shade of pink.

"I…I'm so glad you're back." She whispered, honest.

Taking her hand in his, the Egyptian leaned up to give her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"I'm… glad, too."

She blushed even darker, feeling everyone's eyes on them. All of a sudden her little speech from earlier was reeling back to her.

"Heh…" she laughed nervously, playing with a strand of hair, "I must have sounded so stupid back there…"

"But Aura," Yugi piped up, "It was thanks to you and Odion that Marik was able to regain his fighting spirit!"

"Listen Aura, and you too Yugi…" the Egyptian quickly turned, fumbling his words, "I'm… I'm so sorry, for everything that I—"

"It's over now." Yugi cut him off gently; he looked with a smile to Aura, for her reassurance.

The girl nodded on queue, beaming, "Y-Yeah… you can make up for the things you did in some other way!"

Marik shook his head, that small familiar grin returning to his face, "So I suppose this means I owe you?"

Without warning, he pulled her head down towards him and planted his lips smoothly against hers. She was caught off guard, blinking and blushing out of control.  
Yugi grimaced at this.

"I, uh… hope you're not planning on 'making it up' to _me_ too?"

The top of the duel tower was filled with chortles, and a warm blanket of sunshine.

Admist the cheer, gazing deeply into each other's eyes, both Marik and Aura knew what the other was thinking…

Mere moments lasted an eternity.  
They needn't have said another word.


End file.
